Discussion Paper
Gerrymandering and the Limits of Representative Democracy
We assess the capacity of gerrymandering to undermine the will of the people in a
representative democracy. Citizens have political positions represented on a spectrum,
and electoral maps separate people into districts. We show that unrestrained gerrymandering
can severely distort the composition of a legislature, potentially leading half the
population to lose all representation of their views. This means that, under majority
rule in the congress, gerrymandering enables politicians to enact any legislation of their
representative democracy. Citizens have political positions represented on a spectrum,
and electoral maps separate people into districts. We show that unrestrained gerrymandering
can severely distort the composition of a legislature, potentially leading half the
population to lose all representation of their views. This means that, under majority
rule in the congress, gerrymandering enables politicians to enact any legislation of their