1. Unit III: Institutions of Government  Congress  In what ways are the House and Senate different?

2. Unit III: Institutions of Government  Congress  In what ways are the House and Senate different?  Proportional vs. Equal representation  Term of Service  Age  Powers?

3. Unit III: Institutions of Government  Congress  Census used to determine the number of representatives each state gets

4. Unit III: Institutions of Government

5. Congress: How representative is it?  Is it fair that California Senators Feinstein and Boxer represent 37 million people while Wyoming Senators Barrasso and Enzi represent 568,000?

6. Congress: How representative is it? British legacy  Single member districts with plurality elections  First past the post vs. Proportional representation systems

7. Congress: The Two Party System  Why does the United States have a two party system?

8. Congress: The Two Party System  Why does the United States have a two party system?  Duverger’s Law: First past the post electoral systems with plurality elections lead to Two-party political systems

9. Congress: The Two Party System  Proportional representation systems lead to multiparty system  The need for coalition building leads to greater minority representation

10. Congress: The Two Party System  Proportional representation systems lead to multiparty system   The need for coalition building leads to greater minority representation

11. Congress: The Two Party System  Partisan Redistricting  a.k.a. Gerrymandering  Drawing the boundaries of a Congressional district so as to favor one party over another

12. Congress: The Two Party System  Partisan Redistricting  Parties use this process to choose their voters before the voters get a chance to choose them.  This minimizes the role of the voter.

13. Congress: The Two Party System  Partisan Redistricting  In 2008, incumbents lost 3 US House races in Florida-- in 1982-2006, incumbents won 242 of 246 races  In 2008, the average US House race in Illinois was won 70% to 30%- since 1994, more than half of winners have been "untouchable"

14. Congress: The Two Party System  Racial Gerrymandering  North Carolina’s Majority/Minority districts  Shaw v. Reno (1993)  Shaw v. Hunt (1996)

15. Congress: The Two Party System  Racial Gerrymandering  North Carolina’s Majority/Minority districts  Shaw v. Reno (1993)  District 12 – bright green