What is the practice of drawing district boundaries to favor one party over another?

• A. Hard money
• B. Gerrymandering
• C. Horse race coverage
• D. Incumbent advantage

Answer: (B)

Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing district boundaries to favor one party over another. By shaping the map, a party can win more seats even if voter support is not dramatically different across districts. This is often done through packing, concentrating opponent voters into a few districts to waste their votes, or cracking, spreading them across many districts to dilute their influence. It typically occurs during redistricting after a census when states redraw congressional and state legislative districts. It’s distinct from hard money (regulated campaign contributions) or horse race coverage (media focus on who’s ahead) or incumbent advantage (the built-in edge incumbents have).