Chapter 6
Understand what apportionment is… ▪ How it changes representation in Congress! How political parties manipulate this process for their benefit! ▪ Gerrymandering…
U.S. Congress! (House and Senate) ▪ How do they work? The U.S. Census Bureau and Population Article I, Section 2: ▪ “The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative…”
Ohio vs. Texas – Population Growth – 2000 to 2010
What happens with all this new information on the United States’ population every 10 years? ▪ Each state is forced to redraw Congressional district lines to account for changes in population… ▪ “Redistricting” Article I, Section 2 – Constitution ▪ “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers”
Current Congressional Districts
Enacted Congressional Districts
Now, you might ask, how does all this “apportionment” and “redistricting” apply to voting in the United States?
Gerrymandering!
History of Gerrymandering, Elbridge Gerry, Republicans vs. Federalists and Redistricting… “It looks like a salamander!” … “No, it looks like a _______________!”
Gerrymandering had always taken place! *** 1842, Reapportionment Act… ▪ “contiguous” and “compact.” ▪ 1962, the SCOTUS ruled that districts must have fair borders and an appropriate population mixture. In 1985, the SCOTUS ruled that manipulating district borders to give an advantage to one political party was unconstitutional!
Enacted Congressional Districts