Menu
Collection

Gerrymandering in America

Thanks to advanced data analytics — as well as recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court — state legislatures in 2026 have enormous powers to privilege one political party over another. But looking back through time, we can see that partisan gamesmanship has always been a part of political mapmaking in America. In the collection below, we’re tracing that history all the way back to the nation‘s founding era, when, according to some scholars, Patrick Henry attempted to design a congressional district that his rival James Madison would lose. Certainly by the time “Gerry-Mander” was coined in 1812, the strategy behind the term was already well-known.

This collection was featured in Continuum, the joint newsletter of Bunk and HNN, on April 23, 2026: https://tinyurl.com/Continuum4-23-26
Created by Continuum on May 26, 2026.

The Original Gerrymanders

The history of gerrymandering suggests that the current redistricting race for short-term partisan gain indicates a period of political instability on the way.
by Kevin Vrevich via Panorama on August 1, 2025 
The history of gerrymandering suggests that the current redistricting race for short-term partisan gain indicates a period of political instability on the way.
Drawing of a voting booth on top of a gerrymandered district with a saw cutting the floor out from under it.

American Democracy Was Never Designed to Be Democratic

The partisan redistricting tactics of cracking and packing aren’t merely flaws in the system—they are the system.
by Louis Menand via The New Yorker
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on August 15, 2022 
The partisan redistricting tactics of cracking and packing aren’t merely flaws in the system—they are the system.

Gerrymandering

The notion that democratic elections should allow voters to make a real choice between candidates sits uneasily with untrammeled redistricting power.
by Aziz Huq via London Review of Books
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on October 23, 2025 
The notion that democratic elections should allow voters to make a real choice between candidates sits uneasily with untrammeled redistricting power.

Where Did the Term 'Gerrymander' Come From?

Elbridge Gerry, a powerful voice in the nation's founding, is best known today for the political practice with an amphibious origin.
by Erick Trickey via Smithsonian Magazine on July 20, 2017 
Elbridge Gerry, a powerful voice in the nation's founding, is best known today for the political practice with an amphibious origin.
Demonstrators outside the Supreme Court holding signs that read "People Over Politics."
partner

A Post-Reconstruction Proposal That Would Have Restored Power to the People

Largely forgotten today, Albion W. Tourgée’s legislation could have prevented Moore v. Harper.
by Brook Thomas via Made By History on December 19, 2022 
Largely forgotten today, Albion W. Tourgée’s legislation could have prevented Moore v. Harper.
Map of Texas's congressional districts.

How Redistricting Turned a Setback Into a Bloodbath

The 1894 election cycle holds some key lessons for partisan gerrymanders today.
by Alan Greenblatt via Politico Magazine on November 10, 2025 
The 1894 election cycle holds some key lessons for partisan gerrymanders today.

Re-mapping American Politics

The redistricting revolution, fifty years later.
by David Stebenne via Origins on February 5, 2012 
The redistricting revolution, fifty years later.
illustration of a hand with a shredded ballot

John Roberts’s Long Game

Is this the end of the Voting Rights Act?
by Linda Greenhouse via The Atlantic
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on September 20, 2022 
The redistricting revolution, fifty years later.
partner

Gerrymandering's Surprising History and Uncertain Future

Both parties play the redistricting game, redrawing electoral boundaries to lock down power.
via Retro Report on October 18, 2021 
Both parties play the redistricting game, redrawing electoral boundaries to lock down power.
brought to you by
© Bunk History