What is the name for the drawing of election districts to ensure that members of a certain race are a minority in the district?

• A. Racial Gerrymandering
• B. Majority-Minority District
• C. Jim Crow Laws
• D. Restrictive Covenant

Answer: (A)

Gerrymandering is drawing district lines to influence election outcomes. When that drawing is done to disadvantage or dilute the power of members of a particular race, it’s racial gerrymandering. In this scenario, the goal is to keep members of a race as a minority within a district, which reduces that group's ability to influence elections. That’s the essence of racial gerrymandering. By contrast, a majority-minority district would aim to make a racial minority the district’s majority to boost representation, which is the opposite tactic. Jim Crow laws and restrictive covenants refer to other forms of discrimination and not the redrawing of electoral boundaries.