Gerrymandering refers to the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor a particular political party or group. This practice impacts electoral outcomes by diluting the voting power of specific demographics, ensuring that the party in power maintains an advantage. Through strategies like "packing" (concentrating opposing voters in few districts) or "cracking" (dividing them across many districts), gerrymandering can distort representation, leading to electoral maps that do not accurately reflect the population's political preferences. This undermines the democratic process by reducing fair competition and ultimately discouraging voter participation.