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Reapportionment & Redistricting

Learn about the concepts of reapportionment and redistricting in congressional elections, the rules governing election to Congress, and how voters make decisions. Explore the values associated with representation and what constitutes good representation.

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Reapportionment & Redistricting

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  1. Reapportionment& Redistricting

  2. Constitution • Senators • 6 years • Selected by state legislatures • 17th Amendment, 1913: Direct election • Members of House of Representatives • 2 years • Directly elected by people

  3. Reapportionment • When the federal government reallocates seats among the states after the decennial census

  4. Gains CA (+1) AZ (+2) CO (+1) FL (+2) GA (+2) NV (+1) TX (+2) Losses CT (-1) NY (-2) IL (-1) IN (-1) MI (-1) OH (-1) OK (-1) PA (-2) WI (-1) Gains and losses due to 2000 reapportionment

  5. Redistricting • When states redraw congressional district boundaries after decennial census • Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) • Each district must have equal population

  6. What criteria should states use in deciding where to draw district lines?

  7. Simulation • Each district must have three people. • Men and women care about different political outcomes. Men will vote for men. Women will vote for women. How many women will be elected in the current plan? • Try to maximize the number of women elected. • In addition, flip flop wearers will only vote for flip flop wearers, and vice versa. How many flip flop wearers will be elected in the current plan. • Flip-flop wearers have been the subject of discrimination. Try to get them as much representation as possible.

  8. Conflicting Values • Contiguity of boundaries (requirement) • Equal population (requirement) • Compactness • Keeping together communities of interest • Protecting interests of racial minorities • Partisan gerrymandering • Incumbent protection • Maximizing competition

  9. Rules governing election to Congress • The Constitution

  10. Constitution: election to the House of Representatives • Election every 2 years • Must be 25 years old • Citizenship for 7 years • Live in the state • Selected same way as largest house of state legislature (popular vote) • Apportioned among states based on population

  11. Constitution: election to the Senate • Election every 6 years • Three Classes • Must be at least 30 years old • Citizen for 9 years • Live in the state • Selected by state legislatures • 2 per state

  12. Rules governing election to Congress • The Constitution • Single-member, winner-take all districts • Reapportionment and redistricting • Primary election laws • Open vs. Closed • FECA

  13. Federal Election Campaign Act(as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002) • Contribution limit (individuals) = $2000 • Total cycle contribution limit = $95,000 • Contribution limit (PACs) = $5000

  14. How do voters decide? Heuristics: • Party ID • Name recognition • Incumbency!

  15. Sources of incumbent advantage • Voters recognize their name • Gerrymandering • Privileges of office • Ease of raising money

  16. How do voters decide? • Heuristics • Campaigns

  17. Cost of campaigns 2000 House: • Ave. expenditures: $693,952 • Incumbents’ ave. expenditures: $814,507 • Challengers’ ave. expenditures: $369,823

  18. Where does money come from?

  19. Where does money come from?

  20. Budget of a typical House campaign

  21. Median Voter Theorem • Assume that Ideology and issue positions are normally distributed in the population • In a winner-take-all system, candidates will try to get one more vote than the other candidate by moving toward the center. • Goal is to win over the “median voter”

  22. Who gets elected? • White men

  23. Who gets elected? • White men • Lawyers • Christians • Previously elected officials

  24. Free-Write Write a short essay discussing what constitutes good representation, in your mind. What characteristics of a representative would make you feel like he or she should do a good job representing you and your interests? What behavior should a good representative engage in? When, if ever, should a representative put his constituents’ interests aside and think of the greater good? You will turn this essay in for participation credit.

  25. Values associated with representation • Looking like me, having my background • “Symbolic representation” • Rep. uses own judgment to act on my behalf • “Representative-as-delegate” • Doing exactly what I would do • “Representative as agent” • Communication with me

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