Compact Civics
“Cracking and Packing” is Democracy Hacking
8/21/2024 | 1mVideo has Closed Captions
Explore the effects of gerrymandering and its impact on democracy with Cory McCants.
What if you and your neighbor had completely different political representation? Because of Gerrymandering, that’s a reality for millions. In this episode, Cory explores the practices, known as 'cracking' and 'packing,' and how it dilutes or concentrates voting power to benefit specific parties. Learn how it spells trouble for democracy.
Compact Civics is a local public television program presented by WNED PBS
Compact Civics is made possible by the members of WNED PBS.
Compact Civics
“Cracking and Packing” is Democracy Hacking
8/21/2024 | 1mVideo has Closed Captions
What if you and your neighbor had completely different political representation? Because of Gerrymandering, that’s a reality for millions. In this episode, Cory explores the practices, known as 'cracking' and 'packing,' and how it dilutes or concentrates voting power to benefit specific parties. Learn how it spells trouble for democracy.
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- Imagine your best friend lives just two minutes from you.
You agree on everything, even politics.
Now, imagine that each of you has completely different political representatives.
Thanks to gerrymandering that is a reality for millions of Americans.
Hey there, it's Cory from "Compact Civics".
(cheerful jingle) Representation matters.
Gerrymandering creates imbalances within key voting areas.
The way they go about this is called cracking and packing.
Cracking divides groups who typically vote in similar ways across districts to dilute their voting power.
Packing concentrates people into certain districts to ensure an advantage for their preferred candidates.
It's been studied and shown that both parties exploit this practice.
Is it any wonder people think their vote doesn't matter?
Well, I'm here to tell you it does.
Gerrymandering is just a scheme to undermine democracy and to keep you and your friend at odds.
Compact Civics is a local public television program presented by WNED PBS
Compact Civics is made possible by the members of WNED PBS.