Human Geography 101: Political Geography - Electoral Geography Gerrymandering Redistricting Voting Patterns

What This Is

Electoral geography is the study of how people vote and how electoral districts are drawn. It matters because it helps us understand why some areas are more likely to vote for certain parties or candidates, and how electoral districts can be manipulated to favor one group over another. For example, in the United States, the Republican Party has been accused of gerrymandering in states like North Carolina, where they drew electoral districts to favor their own candidates.

Key Models, Theories & Terms

• Gerrymandering: The practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one party or group over another. This can be done by packing voters from the opposing party into a few districts, or by cracking them apart to spread their votes across multiple districts.
• Redistricting: The process of redrawing electoral district boundaries after a census or other significant population change. This can be done to reflect changes in population growth or decline, or to manipulate the electoral landscape.
• Voting Patterns: The way in which people vote in different areas, including the types of candidates they support and the issues they care about. Voting patterns can be influenced by a range of factors, including demographics, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity.
• Electoral Districts: The geographic areas that are used to elect representatives to government. Electoral districts can be drawn to reflect the population of an area, or to manipulate the electoral landscape.
• Gerrymandering Index: A measure of the extent to which electoral districts have been manipulated to favor one party or group over another. This can be calculated using a range of metrics, including the compactness of districts and the degree of partisan bias.
• Voter Turnout: The percentage of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot in an election. Voter turnout can be influenced by a range of factors, including demographics, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity.
• Voting Blocs: Groups of voters who tend to vote for the same candidates or parties. Voting blocs can be based on demographics, socioeconomic status, or cultural identity.
• Polarization: The process by which electoral districts become increasingly dominated by one party or group over time. This can be driven by a range of factors, including gerrymandering and voter turnout.
• Electoral System: The rules and procedures used to elect representatives to government. Different electoral systems can have different effects on voting patterns and electoral outcomes.

Step-by-Step Application

1. Identify the electoral system: Determine the type of electoral system used in a given country or region. This can include first-past-the-post, proportional representation, or mixed-member systems.
2. Analyze voting patterns: Examine the voting patterns in different areas, including the types of candidates supported and the issues that matter most to voters.
3. Draw electoral districts: Use data on population growth and decline to draw electoral districts that reflect the population of an area.
4. Calculate the Gerrymandering Index: Use metrics such as compactness and partisan bias to calculate the extent to which electoral districts have been manipulated to favor one party or group over another.
5. Examine voter turnout: Analyze the percentage of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot in an election, and identify factors that may influence voter turnout.

Common Misconceptions

• Misconception: Gerrymandering only affects the outcome of elections.
• Correction: Gerrymandering can also influence the types of candidates who are elected, and the issues that are prioritized by government.
• Misconception: Voting patterns are determined solely by demographics.
• Correction: Voting patterns can also be influenced by socioeconomic status, cultural identity, and other factors.
• Misconception: Electoral districts are always drawn to reflect the population of an area.
• Correction: Electoral districts can be drawn to manipulate the electoral landscape, rather than simply reflecting the population of an area.

AP Exam / Free-Response Tips

• FRQ task verbs: Identify, describe, explain, compare, and analyze.
• Tricky distinctions: Electoral system vs. electoral district, voting pattern vs. voting bloc, and polarization vs. gerrymandering.
• Integrating models: Use electoral system, voting pattern, and gerrymandering models to explain electoral outcomes and voting patterns.
• Scoring: FRQs are scored on the basis of clarity, coherence, and evidence.

Quick Practice Scenario

A megacity in a developing country grows rapidly as rural residents move in for factory jobs. Identify the dominant migration pattern and one likely urban model that describes its structure.

Answer: The dominant migration pattern is likely to be chain migration, where rural residents move to the city for factory jobs and then bring their families and friends to join them. One likely urban model that describes its structure is the Burgess concentric zone model, where the city is divided into concentric zones of different land uses and socioeconomic status.

Last-Minute Cram Sheet

• Gerrymandering is the practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one party or group over another.
• The Gerrymandering Index is a measure of the extent to which electoral districts have been manipulated to favor one party or group over another.
• Voting patterns can be influenced by demographics, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity.
• Electoral districts can be drawn to manipulate the electoral landscape, rather than simply reflecting the population of an area.
• Polarization is the process by which electoral districts become increasingly dominated by one party or group over time.
• The electoral system can have different effects on voting patterns and electoral outcomes.
• Voting blocs are groups of voters who tend to vote for the same candidates or parties.
• Voter turnout can be influenced by demographics, socioeconomic status, and cultural identity.
• The Burgess concentric zone model describes a city divided into concentric zones of different land uses and socioeconomic status.
• Chain migration is a type of migration where rural residents move to the city for factory jobs and then bring their families and friends to join them.