Gwendolyn Sobkowiak | staff writer

Gerrymandering, closed primaries, ballot measures. For those who don’t really know what any of those mean, you’re not alone. Before writing this article, I’m embarrassed to say, I couldn’t define them off the cuff myself. Most of us have probably heard the terms before, but they often seem to pop up in conversations where it goes without a dumbed-down definition. Sure, sometimes it makes sense in context, but not always.

When I asked my friends to define these words, their responses were pretty much what I expected. Most of us have heard the terms, but we’re all making our way through the day hoping we don’t suddenly get a pop quiz on politics.

I thought I’d lay my mantle down and admit, for once, that I don’t know everything. Read this article in the privacy of a locked room if the embarrassment is too great for you. Here’s a whole bunch of political terms defined for the adults who are willing to admit their ignorance.

Gerrymandering

For starters, we need to talk about Jerry, well, Gerry actually. Former United States Vice President Elbridge Gerry, the man whose name is inextricably linked to the infamous term. “Gerrymandering.”

Gerry, before being elected governor of Massachusetts and later serving as James Madison’s Vice President, was a Massachusetts state representative. He was up for reelection in 1812 and was expected to lose. His party, the Democratic-Republicans, fearing that Gerry’s loss would cost them the majority and lose them control of the state, decided to remap the districts to favor their party.

The new map was so strange and distorted that it was likened to a mythological salamander according to the Library of Congress Blog. The public was furious with the Gerry campaign’s mapping strategy. Despite the then abnormal map, he still lost the election. However, the Democratic-Republicans were able to maintain control under the heavily manipulated map.

Let’s take a hypothetical, if 60% of voters in a state are Republican and 40% are Democratic, then it seems almost certain that the Republican candidate should win if the state is evenly divided into districts.

However, if the Democratic Party is slated to redraw the map, it would be possible for them to manipulate it, allowing them secure a state majority, even if they don’t win all of the districts. Gerrymandering has very real and very upsetting consequences in our elections.

“Legislators can split Democrats down the middle so they can’t win a race — or pack them into districts so they win very few races. This practice disempowers voters and is an unfair representation of the nation’s choices,” Sam Wang, director of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, said in an interview on CNN.

Whatever party you’re from, your vote should be heard. Gerrymandering is an outdated practice that has been criticised as undemocratic since the days of Gerry.

Primary Elections: closed, open, and semiclosed

With voting in mind, it’s time to discuss elections. Primary elections are something most of us seem to pretend don’t exist. They generally determine the candidates presented for the general election, deciding which one will represent each party. Primary elections, depending on the state, can be either open, closed or semiclosed.

A closed primary is one that is only open to voters who are registered to a given party (registered

Republicans choose the Republican candidate and vice versa). Closed primaries limit the pool of voters, as anyone who has not listed a party affiliation is barred from voting in the primaries. This means that both parties tend to produce candidates that heavily cater to their specific base, rather than representing more moderate views from either side.

In contrast, open primaries allow for all voters to vote once, in any primary, regardless of party affiliation.

It’s been heavily criticized as an outlet for possible political sabotage, giving constituents the chance to attempt to use their votes to elect candidates they believe may be a worse choice for the opposing party.

The third variant is the semi-closed primary, which allows voters without a registered party affiliation to vote in the primary of their choosing, while locking Democratic and Republican constituents into voting in their respective primaries.

Closed primaries are argued to be partially responsible for the intense polarization of presidential candidates. If you don’t like your party’s candidate, it can feel like you have no other options because ultimately, you’re faced with voting for a more extreme candidate from the opposing party in the general election. If we allow for moderates to enter the voting pool, it’s possible we’d see genuine centralization occurring.

Ballot Measures

According to the Council of State Governments, “a ballot measure is a law, issue or topic placed on a statewide or municipal ballot.” Ballot measures are generally decided through an application process which ensures that they match appropriate formatting and criteria to be considered. Anyone can submit one, technically.

Ballot measures can be placed on the ballot if they receive enough constituent signatures. Ballot measures can cover a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to criminal justice , educational program funding and major environmental issues. The list is immense, and can have major impacts on things that hold real significance in our day to day lives. The next time someone hands you a clipboard asking for you to sign for a ballot measure, maybe take a second to hear them out. Ballot measures affect more than you might think.

It’s hard to admit when we don’t know something, and it’s a feeling that’s heavily reinforced by the eye rolls of our peers. But, I’d rather learn about it than avoid these conversations altogether. The terms I covered affect my personal rights and the future of our society in major ways. I’m glad I know them now, at the very least, even if it took me this long.

Gwendolyn Sobkowiak can be reached at sobkowiakg@duq.edu