Good Question: Gerrymandering, how did we get that word?

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - It’s a term that’s been tied to a lawsuit recently in Kentucky, but where did the term “gerrymandering” come from? That’s today’s Good Question.

For today’s Good Question, Pam asks, Gerrymandering, how did we get that word?

Gerrymandering is when voting districts are drawn to favor one party over another.

It is appropriately enough named after a politician and a lizard.

The Boston Gazette first used the phrase in 1812 to describe a redrawn map that Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts signed off on. The new district was compared to a salamander in a political cartoon, and the term “gerry-mander” was used to describe it.

His political opponents continued to use the phrase. It’s now pronounced Gerrymander, and there’s a chance you’ll hear that word more as we get closer to November.

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