What is the term for drawing electoral district lines to benefit a political party?

• A. Plotting
• B. Petitioning
• C. Redistricting
• D. Gerrymandering

Answer: (D)

Gerrymandering is drawing electoral district lines to benefit a political party. It’s about using the map as a tool to influence outcomes, often by concentrating opposition voters into a few districts or dispersing them across many so their overall influence is reduced. That strategic manipulation sets it apart from the broader, neutral process of redistricting, which is simply redrawing boundaries to reflect population changes. The other terms don’t fit because plotting is general planning and petitioning involves collecting signatures, neither of which describe altering district lines for political gain. Gerrymandering captures the deliberate goal of giving one party an advantage through how the maps are drawn.