❓Do You Know Where the Term "Gerrymandering" Comes From?

Topic: Education is Key

Eldridge Gerry, the Census, and Why Power Always Finds a Way

When most people hear the word “gerrymandering,” they think of shady backroom deals, oddly shaped districts, and politicians gaming the system. What they don’t think about is the Revolutionary War or a Founding Father named Eldridge Gerry—but that’s exactly where the story begins.

The Father of Gerrymandering

Eldridge Gerry (hard “G,” rhymes with “berry”) was no small figure in the founding of America. He signed the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress, and became Vice President under James Madison. But in 1812, as Governor of Massachusetts, he signed a redistricting plan that carved up voting districts in ways that heavily favored his party.

One district was so bizarrely shaped that a political cartoonist compared it to a salamander—and the term “Gerry-mander” was born.

Gerry’s original intent may not have been pure corruption—he was trying to keep his political coalition together—but his decision created a tactic that has been used, abused, and perfected for over 200 years.

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Enter the Census Debate

Fast-forward to 2025: President Trump issues an executive order calling for a redo of the U.S. Census to count only legal residents when determining congressional representation and federal funding.

At its core, this is about fairness. Every seat in Congress, every electoral vote, and every distribution of federal dollars is based on population. If states with large numbers of people here illegally get more seats in Congress because of those numbers, that dilutes the voice of citizens in other states.

By counting only legal residents, the new census could better reflect the actual voting population, giving states a representation ratio more in line with the principle of one person, one vote. In short: legal voters shouldn’t lose representation because non-voters are artificially boosting numbers in other states.

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The Problem That Won’t Go Away

Here’s where the history lesson from Eldridge Gerry still matters: even with a fairer census, gerrymandering will likely continue. Why?

Because the sin nature of man is constant. Power corrupts, and political power is a temptation few can resist. From the days of Gerry’s salamander-shaped district to today’s high-tech voter-data algorithms, politicians have been willing to manipulate the system to keep themselves in control.

Changing the census rules may close one loophole, but it won’t erase the human tendency to redraw maps for advantage. That’s why we have to stay vigilant.

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The Takeaway

• Eldridge Gerry’s mistake gave us gerrymandering—a practice that distorts representation.

• Trump’s citizen-only census order is a step toward correcting another distortion: counting people who can’t legally vote when deciding political representation.

• Human nature means the battle isn’t over—no matter the rules, someone will try to bend them.

At Audit the Vote, we believe every citizen’s vote should carry the same weight, free from manipulation—whether by bad census data or twisted district lines. The Founders risked everything to give us a government of the people. It’s our job to protect it from the people who’d twist it for themselves.