▁Ger ry m and ering ▁is ▁a ▁ 2 0 1 0 ▁document ary ▁feature ▁film ▁written ▁and ▁directed ▁by ▁Jeff ▁Reich ert . ▁The ▁film ▁expl ores ▁the ▁history ▁and ▁the ▁eth ical , ▁moral ▁and ▁ra cial ▁problems ▁raised ▁by ▁red istrict ing , ▁i . e ., ▁the ▁drawing ▁of ▁boundaries ▁of ▁elect oral ▁districts ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁Ger ry m and ering ▁covers ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁red istrict ing ▁practice , ▁how ▁it ▁is ▁used ▁and ▁ab used , ▁how ▁it ▁benefits ▁the ▁two ▁major ▁political ▁parties , ▁Democr ats ▁and ▁Republic ans . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁ ▁The ▁et ym ology ▁of ▁the ▁word ▁ger ry m and ering ▁dates ▁back ▁to ▁a ▁red raw ing ▁of ▁Massachusetts ' ▁state ▁Senate ▁election ▁districts ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 2 . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁named ▁after ▁the ▁governor ▁of ▁Massachusetts , ▁El bridge ▁Ger ry , ▁who ▁signed ▁a ▁bill ▁red istrict ing ▁the ▁state ▁to ▁his ▁own ▁advantage . ▁One ▁district ▁was ▁described ▁as ▁having ▁the ▁shape ▁of ▁a ▁sal am ander ; ▁hence ▁the ▁term ▁ger ry m and ering . ▁ ▁Content ▁summary ▁ ▁Jeff ▁Reich ert ▁uses ▁the ▁successful ▁campaign ▁for ▁California ’ s ▁Proposition ▁ 1 1 , ▁which ▁was ▁designed ▁to ▁take ▁red istrict ing ▁power ▁away ▁from ▁the ▁state ▁legisl ature ▁and ▁give ▁it ▁to ▁the ▁Cit iz ens ▁Red istrict ing ▁Commission , ▁as ▁a ▁through - line ▁for ▁the ▁film . ▁The ▁film ▁also ▁uses