1. Electoral Geography

2. Levels of Government
Local (city or county)
ex:
State
Federal

3. Systems of Govt powers shared by National and Local govts
Federal System
most power with Nat’l govt
Unitary System
most power w/ local govt
Confederation

4. Census How often? Every 10 years What does it measure?
Population and other demographic data
What does it determine?
Seats in the House/Electoral votes

5. US Congressional District Map

6. # of Electoral Votes in 2008

7. # of Electoral Votes in 2012

9. Who elects the President of the USA?
The Electoral College

10. How is a state’s number of electoral votes calculated?
One vote per House member
One vote per Senator

11. # of Electoral Votes in 2012

12. Reapportionment
The redistributing of House seats/electoral districts every 10 years according to data provided by the Census

13. There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives, each of which is assigned to an electoral districts.
The number of electoral districts remains at 435, the number of districts w/ in each state is determined by the state’s population
The more populated, the more seats in the House and Electoral Votes a state has

14. Redistricting
After Reapportionment is determined states must redraw electoral district boundaries if they gain or lose seats in the House of Representatives
Redistricting is the creation of these new electoral district boundaries

15. Congressional Districts:
The areas in a state that will be represented by a member in the House of Representatives

16. State level Congressional Districts
How can the density of
districts show the most
populated areas of a state?

17. State Level Congressional Districts

18. Gerrymandering:
the practice of drawing the boundaries of voting districts in a way that favors one group over another.

19. Gerrymandering Made Simple
Democrats Rule
Republicans Rule
Nobody Rules
Copyright © 2001 by Michael D. Robbins, FraudFactor.com

20. Gerrymandering – excess vote
Concentrate one group together in a district
Minimize their impact in other districts
This guarantees them some representation – but weakens them overall

21. Gerrymandering – wasted vote
Break up concentrations of voters
Mix with different voter groups
Dilutes their voting power R D

22. Gerrymandering – stacked vote
Group power bases together
Removes much contestation from elections
Often done by incumbents to ensure continued election R D

23. The Earmuffs (Illinois 4th) Hispanic majority

24. Shady Business
Every political party that is in power during reapportionment will attempt to draw voting districts that will keep them in power

25. Representative Democracy
We elect our leaders to represent us in government.

26. US/Canada Political Comparisons

27. Federal Republic Same as a federal system or federalism.
Sharing of government powers between National/State and Local governments.

28. Separation of Powers
Government power separated by branches of government.

29. Checks and Balances

30. Provinces
Canada has provinces we have states. Both political units

32. Prime Minister Acting executive leader in Canada
Ministerial responsibility means he or she is ultimately responsible for the actions of their administration.

33. Canadian Symbolic Leader
The queen of England…or current English monarch.