Electoral districts are created to divide a population into smaller units, each of which elects a representative to a legislative body. This ensures that all citizens have an equal opportunity to be represented in the government.

Hamilton's method, also known as the 'method of largest remainders,' is the method used in the United States to apportion seats in the House of Representatives among states. It involves calculating the number of seats each state is entitled to based on its population and then assigning the remaining seats to the states with the largest remainders.

Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group. This can be done by packing voters of one party into a few districts, thereby diluting their influence in other districts, or by cracking voters of one party across multiple districts, thereby reducing their chances of electing a representative.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a landmark piece of legislation that prohibited the use of literacy tests and other discriminatory practices in voter registration. It also authorized the federal government to intervene in states with a history of racial discrimination in voting to ensure that all citizens have equal access to the ballot box.

The concept of 'one person, one vote' is the principle that each citizen should have an equal say in the election of their representatives. This principle is reflected in the requirement that electoral districts be drawn in a way that ensures equal representation of all citizens, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Redistricting is the process of adjusting electoral district boundaries based on population changes. It is typically done after each census to ensure that each district has roughly the same number of people. Redistricting can also be done to address changes in voting patterns or to create majority-minority districts.

The Sainte-Laguë method is a method of apportionment used in several countries, including Sweden. It involves calculating the number of seats each party is entitled to based on its share of the vote and then assigning the remaining seats to the parties with the largest remainders.

Single-member districts are electoral districts that elect one representative to a legislative body, while multi-member districts elect multiple representatives. Multi-member districts are often used in countries with proportional representation electoral systems, where the number of seats a party wins is proportional to its share of the vote.

The effective number of parties is the number of parties that have a realistic chance of winning seats in a legislative body. It is a measure of the level of competition in an electoral system. A higher effective number of parties indicates a more competitive electoral system, while a lower effective number of parties indicates a less competitive electoral system.

The D'Hondt method is a method of apportionment used in several countries, including Belgium. It involves calculating the number of seats each party is entitled to based on its share of the vote and then assigning the remaining seats to the parties with the largest remainders.

Majority-minority districts are electoral districts in which the majority of the population is from a minority group. These districts are created to ensure that minority groups have a fair chance of electing representatives to legislative bodies.

The Sainte-Laguë method is a method of apportionment used in several countries, including Sweden. It involves calculating the number of seats each party is entitled to based on its share of the vote and then assigning the remaining seats to the parties with the largest remainders.

Proportional representation electoral systems allocate seats in a legislative body based on the share of votes each party receives. This means that parties that receive a larger share of the vote will win more seats, even if they do not win a majority of the votes. Majoritarian electoral systems, on the other hand, allocate seats based on who wins the most votes in each district. This means that a party can win a majority of the seats in a legislative body even if it does not receive a majority of the votes.

Wasted votes are votes that are cast for candidates who do not win. This can happen in both proportional representation and majoritarian electoral systems. In proportional representation systems, wasted votes are votes that are cast for parties that do not win enough votes to win any seats in the legislative body. In majoritarian systems, wasted votes are votes that are cast for candidates who do not win the most votes in their district.