If you've ever seen the 435 congressional districts on a map, you'd probably think it looked something similar to a giant puzzle. These neighborhoods vary in size and certainly in shape. Unlike how county boundaries are decided within states, congressional districts change every ten years after the census is released. Why exactly do they need to change? Well, the answer to that question gets the same frustrating answer heard over and over again: It's politics. The official name for the act of changing congressional lines to benefit one political party is “gerrymandering.” It has been the cause of many debates as well as many negative effects. Gerrymandering has had an unfair advantage in politics throughout history because it has tarnished the system and should be changed. The history of gerrymandering is one that has caused major upheavals in the way politics is conducted. It all started with a man named Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts in 1812. The governor came up with the idea of ​​redrawing his state's borders to benefit his political party. One specific district was transformed so badly that it almost resembled a salamander, hence its name gerrymandering (Barasch). But it didn't just stop in 1812 in Massachusetts; it has become one of the most common strategies in American politics. We even see this happening today. For example, in 2003, Texas realigned its districts in such a way that it placed ten Democratic congressmen in conservative and bright red (Barasch) districts. This decision was made to diminish their power within the house. As a result, half of them were not re-elected in the next elections. The act of gerrymandering is not as simple as redrawing districts, middle of paper...... strict is intended to allow every American to have fair representation in their government, but it tends to stand out from the crowd. out of the way when politicians seek to destroy this foundation. Geographic squares based on population are the only way to ensure fair representation, and in the meantime, gerrymandering will continue to corrupt America. Works Cited Barasch, Emily. “The Twisted History of Gerrymandering in American Politics.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, September 19, 2012. Web. April 23, 2014. Buckler, Justin. “Population Equality and the Imposition of Risk on Partisan Gerrymandering.” Case Western Reserve Law Review 62.4 (2012): 1037-1055. Premier Academic Research. Internet. April 23, 2014. “House of Representatives party divisions*.” Party divisions. Np, and Web. April 23, 2014. “Where are the lines drawn? All about redistricting. Np, and Web. April 23. 2014.