Teaching About Redistricting & Gerrymandering

Every decade, states engage in redistricting – the redrawing of congressional and state legislative boundaries – after the release of new census data. This process often becomes politicized, with district lines drawn to create partisan advantages and disadvantages, a tactic known as gerrymandering.

The United States conducts a constitutionally mandated census every 10 years. This count has numerous effects, and one of the most important is its impact on our representative democracy. Reapportionment and redistricting, in turn, affect how and by whom the people are represented.

The process of redistricting, or redrawing congressional and state legislative boundaries, often becomes politicized. Drawing district lines to create partisan advantages and disadvantages is a tactic known as gerrymandering. Examine interactive resources to explore how changing district lines can affect the balance of partisan power, and evaluate criteria for drawing district lines.

Co-hosted by Retro Report, New American History, and GeoCivics, and supported by NCGE, this webinar will feature brand new classroom resources for teaching about Redistricting and Gerrymandering in 6th-12th grade classrooms, along with resources for the College/University level. The presenting organizations are all Educating for American Democracy Champions, and the materials presented align with the EAD framework and Changing Landscapes and We the People EAD themes.

• NYT Learning Network: “How Maps Reshape American Politics”
• Draw the Lines PA: “Flashes of Insight” exercise
• GeoCivics: State Resources page
• New American History: “Electing the House of Representatives” lesson
• New American History: “Gerrymandering and Redistricting” lesson
• iCivics: Gerrymandering Infographic

The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, barred states from denying American women the right to vote on the basis of their sex. But for decades, many African-American women remained disenfranchised, despite having played a significant role in the struggle to gain the vote.

The dramatic controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election led to sweeping voting reforms, but opened the door to a new set of problems that continue to affect elections today.