Write a 500 word essay answering ALL the following questions:
The drawing of congressional district boundaries is critically important to democratic governance. Identify a gerrymandered district in your home state or adjacent state and answer the following questions related to the issue of gerrymandering in the United States.
A. Explain the process of congressional redistricting in the United States and the different forms of gerrymandering and their effects on legislative boundaries and U.S. politics.
B. Having identified a gerrymandered district in your home state or adjacent state,
i. Discuss the racial, economic, religious, and ethnic characteristics of the district that may suggest a particular party affiliation.
ii. Identify the major political party that was in power when the boundaries were drawn and which party the boundaries favor.
iii. Discuss if the boundaries were drawn to dilute or concentrate opposition votes in nearby districts.
iv. Discuss the impact of gerrymandering in U.S. elections and politics.
C. Discuss racial gerrymandering and address the pros and cons of this practice.
D. Provide geography-based solutions for drawing voting districts that provide fair representation for all.
*Please note that you should include the map of the gerrymandered congressional district of your choice in your essay and all sources consulted and graphics included must be properly cited.
Please use the following sources:
Useful Links
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2014/05/15/americas-most-gerrymandered-congressional-districts/
http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/The-Mapmaking-Mess.html
https://ballotpedia.org/Majority-minority_districts
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/majority-minority-districts-are-products-of-geography-not-voting-rights-act/
