What is gerrymandering?

Gerrymandering refers to the practice of manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to create an unfair advantage for a particular political party or group. This can be achieved by either "packing" voters of one party into a few districts to limit their influence elsewhere or "cracking" them across many districts to dilute their voting power.

The essence of gerrymandering lies in its intentional design to skew electoral outcomes, thus ensuring that one party has a greater chance of winning elections in certain districts compared to their opponents. This action often undermines the principle of fair representation, as districts may not accurately reflect the demographics or political preferences of the population.

The other options, while related to aspects of electoral processes or political strategies, do not capture the fundamental concept of gerrymandering as effectively. Fair representation is contrary to the essence of gerrymandering, and while efforts to maintain incumbents or attract funding can occur within the broader political landscape, they do not define the act of gerrymandering itself.