The House of Representatives population-based representation Article I, Section 2
Size and Terms 435 members – determined by Congress l Representation apportioned (distributed) based on population l Representatives serve 2 year terms l No limit on the number of terms l Every state is guaranteed at least one seat in the House of Representatives, no matter how small their population is. l
Small States with 1 Representative Alaska l Delaware l Montana l North Dakota l South Dakota l Vermont l Wyoming l
How does the government know how many people live in each state? l Census: Constitution requires the government to count all of the people in the country every 10 years l After the census, Congress decides the number of representatives each state will have.
Reapportionment After every census, the representation is reapportioned or redistributed l Number set at 435 - The Reapportionment Act of 1929 l 2010 Census last one -309, 183, 463 l The number of people counted is divided by 435 ~ 710, 767 people per representative l 2013 – 316, 094, 000 ~ 726, 653 l The US grows – number of people each representative speaks for grows. l
l 2013 Congress l PA – 12, 763, 536 l CA – 38, 041, 430 l WY 576, 412 l / / / 20 = 738, 176 55 = 691, 662 3 = 192, 137 2013 House of Representatives l PA – 12, 763, 536 l CA – 38, 041, 430 l WY 576, 412 / 18 = 709, 085 / 53 = 717, 763 / 1 = 576, 412
Gerrymandering Districts with unusual shapes l Gerrymandering draws districts to favor one political party - governor’s responsibility l The original gerrymander was created in 1812 by Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry, who crafted a district for political purposes that looked like a salamander. l
How has Congress regulated redistricting? Voting Rights Act 1965 – Fed reg of elections l In 1967, Congress requiring all U. S. reps. to be elected from single member l Congress in 1982 amended Voting Rights Actprotect voting rights of racial minorities in redistricting. l states have great leeway to draw districts, l Cracking – diluting voting base l Packing – keeping voting base in one district l
How Has the Supreme Court regulated redistricting? Baker v Carr 1962 l Wesbury v Sanders 1964 l l One man, one vote: each voting district must be of similar size – within 10% l Bush v Vera 1996 l Struck down race based districts as unconstitutional - race can not be the controlling factor in drawing district lines l Hunt v Cromartie 2001 l Race can be one of the mix of factors that shape the process
Texas having difficulty complying with the Voting Rights Act 1965 & amendments l Not legal to dilute power of minority groups l Preclearance – districts with history of voter discrimination must get permission before approving any changes related to voting. Section 5 VRA l Section 5 - Constitutional? l http: //www. nytimes. com/2013/06/26/us/su preme-court-ruling. html? _r=0 l
Try your hand at Redistricting http: //wxxi. org/curriculum/redistrict/interactive/s imulation/index. html# http: //www. annenbergclassroom. org/page/oneperson-one-vote
Congressional Elections Held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of an even numbered year l Senate - continuous body l House - up for election every even numbered year l
Districts l Single-member districts l People l in a district vote for their representative At-large? l People in a state vote for all representatives in that state
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