If you've ever seen the 435 congressional districts on a map you'd probably think to yourself that it looks something like a giant jigsaw puzzle. These districts vary in size and certainly in shape. Unlike how county lines 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 again and again: it's politics. The official name for the act of changing congressional lines to benefit a 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, as it has tarnished the system and should be changed. The history of gerrymandering is one that has caused some major upheavals in the way politics is done. A man named Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts in 1812, started it all. The governor came up with the idea of ​​redistricting his state's borders to benefit his political party. One specific district was so badly morphed that it almost resembled a salamander, hence the name, gerrymandering (Barasch). But it didn't just stop in Massachusetts in 1812; it has become one of the most common strategies in American politics. We see this happening even today. For example, Texas realigned its districts in 2003 to place ten Democratic lawmakers in heavily red, conservative districts (Barasch). This move was made to reduce their power within the house. As a result, half of them were not voted again for the next election. The act of gerrymandering is not as simple as redrawing districts, the non... middle of paper... strict is that every American can have equal representation in their government, but this tends to get out of the way that i politicians try to destroy that foundation. Population-based geographic squares are the only way to ensure fair representation, and until that happens, 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 of academic research. Network. April 23, 2014."House of Representatives Party Divisions*." Party divisions. Np, nd Web. April 23, 2014."Where are the lines drawn?" All about redistricting. Np, nd Web. April 23. 2014.