Gerrymandering

This is a must-see documentary. Anyone who truly understands gerrymandering and politics will quickly recognize how this film pinpoints the root of the growing partisan divide in America.

A very important documentary about a subject that too few people understand. The ideas are presented clearly, succinctly, powerfully. I highly recommend this feature.

A great documentary on our broken system of electing representatives. This video will take you inside the history and process of gerrymandering.

Not worth $2.99. Uninteresting. It did not coherently explain exactly what "gerrymandering" is. It was confusing,and I wish I could get a refund.

There is a lot most Americans do not know about politics. Even this (but very important) concept of Gerrymandering is one that should have been more explosive in the past.Every decade, the census occurs. With that information, politicians (both Republican and Democratic) engage in a legal form of voter manipulation. In other words, they rezone their voting districts to their advantage - the people most likely to vote for them in upcoming elections. It's legal and dastardly. Winners control Congress for the next ten years. That means 2020 is the next time this can occur. California passed Proposition 11 that kept it in check, oddly, with the support of none other than that `political character', Arnold Swartzenegger.Politicians don't need to cheat with ballot stuffing or voting machine manipulation. They can simply redraw districts to suit their reelection. Senator Obama was elected this way in Illinois. He changed his districting from the south of Chicago to the wealthy coast of Lake Michigan. It is legal.Gerrymandering was named after Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry. In 1812, Governor Gerry signed a bill that redistricted Massachusetts to benefit his Democratic-Republican Party. When mapped, one of the contorted districts in the Boston area was said to resemble the shape of a salamander. Some of the maps shown in this film look like a Rorschach test.The entire section on how a prison community (prisoners cannot vote) can be easily swayed to one politician with literally less than a handful of votes is stunning.This film is only 77 minutes long, but it is packed with easy to understand information, graphs, interviews and clever shenanigans. If this film was made before 2010, we might see a different Congress today. Check it out. It's just another amazing look into American politics and something every American should know about.DVD kindly supplied by 'Passion River' films.

This interesting documentary does a fine job in defining what gerrymandering is and the danger that the practice poses to small 'd' democracy. Several examples in areas such as Los Angeles and Martha's Vineyard get an illuminating focus that's eye-opening. The core issue with the film, though, is that it spends just about all of its time talking about the problems with the practice. There's little in the way of concrete solutions offered. As the primer to talking about a growing issue with our country's government, however, the movie still remains worth watching.

I am surprised that this is not being taught in every high school history class. Regardless of who your political party is, this should be front and center in the educational teaching of US Government. Highly recommend.