http://gearino.com/index.php/2007/06/29/start-the-death-watch-for-this-phrase/ Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 18 May 2012 22:22:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 http://gearino.com/index.php/2007/06/29/start-the-death-watch-for-this-phrase/#comment-7 Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:33:13 +0000 http://gearino.com/index.php/2007/06/29/start-the-death-watch-for-this-phrase/#comment-7 Here's another explanation of the term jerry-rigged. I have a faint memory of a college lecture about how legislative districts are created by the people who are running for those offices. The objective is to draw a district that includes as many supporters as possible and excluding voters who will oppose the candidate. One non-incumbent candidate showed a map of the strange-looking district to make the point that it didn't make any sense geographically. An observer noted that it looked like a salamander. The candidate replied "No, that's a "jerry-mander", referring to his opponent whose name was Jerry. When Gov. Martin was in office, he made the same point by showing the voting districts drawn by the General Assembly and giving them names like "bug splatter", like what you see on your car's windshield. Here’s another explanation of the term jerry-rigged. I have a faint memory of a college lecture about how legislative districts are created by the people who are running for those offices. The objective is to draw a district that includes as many supporters as possible and excluding voters who will oppose the candidate.
One non-incumbent candidate showed a map of the strange-looking district to make the point that it didn’t make any sense geographically. An observer noted that it looked like a salamander. The candidate replied “No, that’s a “jerry-mander”, referring to his opponent whose name was Jerry.
When Gov. Martin was in office, he made the same point by showing the voting districts drawn by the General Assembly and giving them names like “bug splatter”, like what you see on your car’s windshield.

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