The process of redistricting, which involves redrawing the 435 congressional districts across the United States, has been a part of American history since the colonial era.

Every 10 years, as the population changes, each district is redrawn based on population to ensure roughly equal representation in legislative bodies like the U.S. House of Representatives. Traditionally, the redrawing is done every ten years in conjunction with the U.S. Census. Advertisement

Sometimes, when drawing districts, lawmakers get creative. This practice started in 1812 when Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry redrew state senate districts to benefit his party, the Democratic-Republicans. Some thought the shape resembled a salamander, leading a newspaper to dub it the "Gerry-mander," a term that has stuck. Tod

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