districting

politics

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "districting" in politics refers to the drawing of electoral district boundaries. This process is crucial for determining how representatives are elected to assemblies. A primary concern in districting is "gerrymandering," which is the manipulation of these boundaries to unfairly benefit a particular political party or to dilute the voting power of minority groups.123

The practice of gerrymandering can lead to districts that are not compact or equal in size, potentially violating principles of equal representation. While racial gerrymandering has been ruled unconstitutional in the United States, partisan gerrymandering has faced complex legal challenges, with courts often deeming it a "political question" beyond their jurisdiction. This practice can result in "safe" districts for one party, reducing electoral competition and potentially leading to policies that do not reflect the broader electorate's will.31

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

John Paul Stevens
…involving gay rights and race-conscious districting (the practice of creating electoral districts in which racial minorities, especially African Americans and Hispanics, constitute a majority of the voting population) represented a defense of the rights of groups that historically had been disenfranchised or discriminated against. Stevens was usually a strong defender…
Read More
…involving gay rights and race-conscious districting (the practice of creating electoral districts in which racial minorities, especially African Americans and Hispanics, constitute a majority of the voting population) represented a defense of the rights of groups that historically had been disenfranchised or discriminated against. Stevens was usually a strong defender…
Read More

election
Constituencies: districting and apportionment
…to obtain representation, the geographic district can be regarded only as an administrative unit for counting votes. The effective constituency is the group of electors that can be identified as having voted for a given candidate. In this case, election is usually by some method of proportional counting whereby any…
Read More
…to obtain representation, the geographic district can be regarded only as an administrative unit for counting votes. The effective constituency is the group of electors that can be identified as having voted for a given candidate. In this case, election is usually by some method of proportional counting whereby any…
Read More