

The word gerrymander (originally written Gerry-mander a portmanteau of the name Gerry and the animal salamander) was used for the first time in the Boston Gazette on 26 March 1812 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The caricature satirizes the bizarre shape of the district as a dragon-like "monster", and Federalist newspaper editors and others at the time likened it to a salamander. Printed in March 1812, this political cartoon was made in reaction to the newly drawn state senate election district of South Essex created by the Massachusetts legislature to favor the Democratic-Republican Party. 8.24.2 United Kingdom – Boundary review.5 Use of databases and computer technology.4.6.1 Minimum district to convex polygon ratio.4.6 Objective rules to create districts.4.2 Redistricting by partisan competition.



In representative democracies, gerrymandering ( / ˈ dʒ ɛ r i m æ n d ər ɪ ŋ/, originally / ˈ ɡ ɛr i m æ n d ər ɪ ŋ/) is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent of creating undue advantage for a party, group, or socio-economic class within the constituency.
