VOA · U.S. History
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed3:032018-12-20public domain
The U.S. History series (The Making of a Nation) tells American history from the colonial era onward in VOA Special English: slow speed, limited vocabulary, long-form storytelling. Generations of learners have used this exact series to break through intermediate listening.
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01Gerrymander is an old word for an idea that is still important today in the United States.
02The term was first used in 1812 by an artist who made pictures for a newspaper.
03The artist wanted to call attention to a strangely shaped voting area in the state of Massachusetts.
04The area looked like an animal, a salamander to be exact.
05It had a strange shape because Massachusetts officials made it that way to help the political party of this state's governor, Eldbridge Gerry.
06So the newspaper called the area a Gerrymander.
07Over time, many people exchanged the hard G for a soft G.
08Today, creating a voting area for the purpose of helping a political party is commonly called gerrymandering.
09The issue remains in the news because politicians have a chance to recreate voting districts every 10 years after the nation's population is counted.
10In most states, officials from the majority party change the boundaries of voting districts after the count is completed.
11Each area must have about the same number of people.
12But officials can group similar voters together, or they can split up groups of like-minded voters to limit their power.
13Critics of gerrymandering argue that the way a voting district is mapped strongly influences which party wins a race, especially races for the U.S.
14Congress.
15They say, the custom is not democratic.
16It puts the interests of political parties over those of voters.
17Some politicians defend the practice, especially when they are in the majority.
18They say, gerrymandering is legal, part of the political process, or not really an important issue.
19They also say, the Constitution gives the power to create voting areas to state lawmakers.
20Once again, critics object.
21They say, the courts, including the Supreme Court, could and should step in.
22I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
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