Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government The redrawing of congressional and state legislative districts every 10 years can make and break political careers, providing new opportunities for some and placing brick walls in front of others. But beyond an individual politicianâs future, the most significant impact of redistricting is the potential reshaping of political power in a state by packing or cracking districts for a particular advantage. We know this as âgerrymanderingâ and the ultimate goal of some politicians is to increase or decrease the number of Republicans or Democrats in Congress or statehouses. There are other interests as well, such as keeping communities of interest together to preserve representation. For example, splitting a city or county when it could be kept together could be viewed as weakening that communityâs voice.