- The goal is to maximize the number of districts won by the pink party in a 10-district state with 500 pink and 500 green voters.
- The strategy involves "packing" 95 green voters into one district, ensuring green wins that district by a large margin (95 green vs. 5 pink).
- The remaining 405 green voters are "cracked" across the other nine districts, with 45 green voters in each.
- In each of these nine districts, there are 55 pink voters, allowing pink to win each by a small margin (55 pink vs. 45 green).
- This results in pink winning 9 out of 10 districts, despite an equal total number of voters for each party.
- The efficiency gap measures wasted votes: votes in losing districts or excess votes beyond the 50% threshold needed to win.
- For pink: 5 wasted votes in the losing district + 5 excess votes per winning district × 9 districts = 50 wasted votes.
- For green: 45 wasted votes per losing district × 9 districts + 45 excess votes in the winning district = 450 wasted votes.
- The efficiency gap is the absolute difference: 450 - 50 = 400 wasted votes, or 40% of the total population.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of gerrymandering worksheet.
