Political Power, Political Inequality — Quiz

Question 9 • Ethnic Studies Edge IC

What is the difference between packing and cracking in voting districts?

Answer

Packing is an example of using grandfather clauses to provide a barrier to voting, while cracking is an example of using gerrymandering.

Packing works to disenfranchise voters from marginalized communities, while cracking works to provide them with greater political access.

Packing works to limit the reach of one political party across a state, while cracking works to expand the reach of all political parties.

Packing is the process of concentrating certain voters into one or two districts, while cracking is the process of spreading them out to dilute their impact.

Explanation

Packing concentrates voters who tend to support a particular candidate or party into a small number of districts. This can make their votes less influential elsewhere. Cracking divides those voters among several districts so they are outnumbered in each, diluting their influence. Therefore, D correctly describes the difference.

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