19 Jun Please read over the other students’ response and then reply to at least one classmate.

Please read over the other students’ response and then reply to at least one classmate. In your replies identify something you had not previously been aware of or something which challenges you to think differently.

CLASSMATE –

Gerrymandering is a political practice that dates back to the founding of the United States. Redistricting is critical to our democracy because communities change: maps must be redrawn to guarantee that districts are equitably populated, conform with regulations such as the Voting Rights Act, and are otherwise representative of a state’s population. Most gerrymandering attempts can be best understood by looking at two basic techniques: cracking and packing. Cracking divides groups of people with similar characteristics across numerous districts, such as voters from the same political party. The opposite of cracking is packing: map makers load as many voters as possible into as few districts as feasible. I believe the nonpartisan commissions will result in more democratic, competitive, and less partisan legislative districts.