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Gerrymandering: How Drawing the Lines Can Silence Your Vote

By lwilliams@semourbanvoices.com - August 28, 2025

When you walk into a voting booth, you might believe that your vote counts the same as everyone else’s. But in American politics, the way election districts are drawn can tilt the scales long before Election Day arrives. This practice—known as gerrymandering—has been shaping political power for over two centuries, often leaving some communities with less voice and less choice.

What Is Gerrymandering?
Gerrymandering happens when political leaders redraw voting district boundaries to give one political party, or group, an unfair advantage. The term comes from a combination of Elbridge Gerry, a Massachusetts governor in 1812, and the word “salamander,” after one oddly shaped district he approved.
Instead of districts being drawn fairly to represent communities, the lines can be carved up like a puzzle to favor those already in power. This can decide who wins before a single ballot is cast.
Gerrymandering may sound like a political term for faraway places, but its effects hit home. From the statehouse in Springfield and Jefferson City to city council meetings in local communities, the way the lines are drawn shapes who has a seat at the table—and whose voices are left outside the room.
Fair maps mean fair representation. And fair representation means our communities get the power, resources, and respect we deserve.

How It Works: Gerrymandering often happens in two main ways:

Packing – Putting as many voters from one group (often a racial or political group) into a single district. This limits their influence to just that district and prevents them from impacting surrounding ones.
Cracking – Splitting a group’s voters into several districts so they’re always in the minority and can’t elect candidates who represent their interests.
These tactics can affect everything from local school boards to Congress.
Why It Matters for Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois: For communities like ours—especially African American and other minority neighborhoods—gerrymandering can mean:

Fewer representatives who look like us or share our lived experiences.
Less political power to secure funding for schools, infrastructure, or public health.
More difficulty holding leaders accountable when districts are drawn to protect incumbents instead of voters.

Gerrymandering: How Drawing the Lines Can Silence Your Vote

Gerrymandering: How Drawing the Lines Can Silence Your Vote

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