Gerrymandering Explained to Kids

Here is a free and fun worksheet used to explain the concept of gerrymandering to kids.

Gerrymandering Worksheet

Gerrymandering is a way politicians draw voting district lines in a way that helps them retain power. With elections coming on November 6th some states have proposals on the ballot to reduce gerrymandering. Regardless of your stance on the issue, this presents a good opportunity to understand the issue.

 This video from CBC news explains the issue and how it works.

After watching the video I printed out the worksheets and told the kids each of the four groups of blue and red people represented a state. Each state would have five voting districts with five people in each district. I showed them two ways the district lines could be drawn and then asked them if they could draw the lines in a way that the blue guys won the election.

Just like the politicians, they had to draw oddly shaped groups. Once they were finished I declared them qualified to draw voting district lines for actual politicians.