[ti:What Is Gerrymandering, Why Is It Important?] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.01]"Gerrymander" is an old word for an idea [00:05.45]that is still important today in the United States. [00:10.10]The term was first used in 1812 by an artist [00:16.30]who made pictures for a newspaper. [00:18.90]The artist wanted to call attention to a strangely-shaped voting area [00:25.00] in the state of Massachusetts. [00:27.91]The area looked like an animal: a salamander, to be exact. [00:34.78]It had a strange shape because Massachusetts officials [00:39.31]made it that way to help the political party [00:43.27]of the state's governor, Elbridge Gerry. [00:47.03]So the newspaper called the area a "Gerry-mander." [00:52.35]Over time, many people exchanged the hard "g" for a soft "g." [01:00.10]Today, creating a voting area for the purpose of helping a political party [01:07.07] is commonly called "gerrymandering." [01:11.71]The issue remains in the news because politicians [01:17.24]have a chance to re-create voting districts every 10 years, [01:22.95]after the nation's population is counted. [01:26.55]In most states, officials from the majority party [01:32.08]change the boundaries of voting districts after the count is completed. [01:38.41]Each area must have about the same number of people. [01:44.20]But officials can group similar voters together. [01:50.00]Or they can split up groups of like-minded voters to limit their power. [01:55.92]Critics of gerrymandering argue that the way a voting district [02:01.73]is mapped strongly influences which party wins a race, [02:06.81]especially races for the U.S. Congress. [02:10.88]They say the custom is not democratic [02:15.54]– it puts the interests of political parties over those of voters. [02:20.86]Some politicians defend the practice [02:24.76]– especially when they are in the majority. [02:28.43]They say gerrymandering is legal, [02:32.33] part of the political process or not really an important issue. [02:38.51]They also say the Constitution gives the power [02:44.01]to create voting areas to state lawmakers. [02:48.63]Once again, critics object. [02:52.23]They say the courts, including the Supreme Court, [02:57.50]could and should step in. [03:01.08]I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. [03:03.61]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM