What malapportionment means
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Malapportionment occurs when electoral districts contain significantly unequal numbers of voters, meaning a vote cast in a smaller district effectively carries more weight than a vote cast in a much larger one, even though each is nominally equal, as a closer look usually confirms, a subtlety that rewards careful attention.
Unlike gerrymandering, which involves deliberately shaping boundaries for partisan advantage, malapportionment can also arise simply from population change over time, as growth in some areas outpaces others while district boundaries remain unchanged for an extended period, which is why the distinction is rarely trivial, a consideration that seasoned observers rarely dismiss.
Regular, independent redistribution processes are generally the main safeguard against malapportionment, since periodically adjusting boundaries to reflect current population helps ensure that each vote continues to carry roughly equal weight across the whole electorate, however small it might initially seem, which is one reason the rules keep evolving, a point worth keeping in mind going forward.