Reapportionment & Redistricting For the House of Representatives

IIIIn the Senate, every state gets represented by 2 senators regardless of population IIIIn the House of Representatives, representation is based on population…

EEEEvery 10 years the Census Bureau counts the population TTTThe population of each state determines the number of representatives in the House to which each state is entitled TTTThis process is called

Reapportionment after 2010 Census

AAAAfter reapportionment, state legislatures set up congressional districts—one for each representative in the House TTTThis process of setting up new district lines is called

District lines around Los Angeles

TTTThe population in each congressional district must be about the same— currently around 700,000 people in each district DDDDistricts must be compact and contiguous WWWWhichever political party controls the state legislature controls redistricting

CCCControlling parties often use this power by --drawing district boundaries to gain an advantage in elections TTTThe goal is to send as many representatives from your party to the House as possible

 Gerrymandering Video Gerrymandering Video Gerrymandering Video

“Packing”  including as many of the opponent’s voters as possible into one district  This weakens the opposing party by combining many similar votes into one voting block, opening up the other blocks for the minority party.

EXAMPLE of PACKING Six districts: A, B, C, D, E, F Two parties : X and Y 100 voters. Majority in a district wins the district. X has 60 % of the voters. Y has 40 % of the voters. -X has a majority of support in the population, but Y has the legislative majority. - Y has the power to draw the district boundaries. District Allocation: A: 26 Voters from X, 1 from Y. (X wins district A) B: 2 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district B) C: 2 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district C) D: 26 Voters from X, 1 from Y, (X wins district D) E: 2 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district E) F: 2 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district F) Results : TWO THIRDS of the legislative seats go to the minority party Y.

Example of “packing” in North Carolina

Example of “packing” in Illinois

“Cracking”  dividing an opponent’s voters into many different districts  This weakens the opposing party by spreading the vote out so they can overruled by the majority party.

EXAMPLE of CRACKING Six districts: A, B, C, D, E, F Two parties : X and Y 100 voters. Majority in a district wins the district. 100 voters. Majority in a district wins the district. X has 60 % of the voters. Y has 40 % of the voters. -X has a majority of support in the population, but Y has the legislative majority. - Y has the power to draw the district boundaries. District Allocation: A; 9 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district A) B; 9 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district B) C; 9 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district C) D: 9 Voters from X, 10 from Y. (Y wins district D) E: 12 Voters from X, 0 from Y. (X wins district E) F: 12 Voters from X, 0 from Y. (X wins district F) Results : TWO THIRDS of the legislative seats go to the minority party Y.

Example of “cracking” in Ohio

 Elbridge Gerry  Massachusetts governor  The “Gerrymander”

48 th District California 48th Congressional District

Representative for California’s 48 th Congressional District  Dana Rohrabacher – Republican