What is gerrymandering, and how does it contribute to gridlock?

1. Gerrymandering is the process by which politicians alter the boundaries of districts to disproportionately improve their chance of being re-elected.

You don't have to include this part in any answer, but, for your understanding of gerrymandering:

I'm a politician from the 'Red Political Party' in a town with 10 people, and when making a map of my district, I must put all 10 people into 3 districts, and each district has a single vote.

I want to make it so I have the best chance of winning. Of the people in my town, 4 people are in the Red Political Party (my party), and 6 people are members of my rival party, the Blue Political Party.

If there are more people in the opposing party, I shouldn't be able to win, should I? Here's where gerrymandering comes in.

I make district #1 comprised of 2 people from the Red Political Party, and 1 person from the Blue Political Party.

I make district #2 comprised of 4 people from the Blue Political Party, and none from the Red Political Party.

I make district #3 comprised of 2 people from the Red Political Party, and 1 person from the Blue Political Party.

Since all of the districts have 1 vote each; district #1 votes for the Red Political Party, district #2 votes for the Blue Political Party, and district #3 votes for the Red Political Party.

By using gerrymandering, I just won an election where only 40% of people voted for me, but 60% of people voted for the other candidate.

2. As a result, only the party who is control of altering the boundaries of districts will ever be re-elected since they draw them to their favor. The majority of people will neither be represented and will not be able to change their situation without outside help of state or federal officials.

the answer is prolly b

separation of powers, therefore, refers to the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.   the intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances.  

the traditional characterizations of the powers of the branches of american government are:

* the legislative branch is responsible for enacting the laws of the state and appropriating the money necessary to operate the government.

* the executive branch is responsible for implementing and administering the public policy enacted and funded by the legislative branch.

* the judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the constitution and laws and applying their interpretations to controversies brought before it.

forty state constitutions specify that government be divided into three branches:   legislative, executive and judicial.   california illustrates this approach; "the powers of state government are legislative, executive, and judicial.   persons charged with the exercise of one power may not exercise either of the others except as permitted by this constitution."

while separation of powers is key to the workings of american government, no democratic system exists with an absolute separation of powers or an absolute lack of separation of powers. governmental powers and responsibilities intentionally overlap; they are too complex and interrelated to be neatly compartmentalized. as a result, there is an inherent measure of competition and conflict

minnesota:   minnesota house research,   separation of powers: when statutes and court rules conflict, 2005