Reapportionment
and Gerrymandering
American Citizenship
Historical Overview
 Constitution
– Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned
among the several States which may be included within
this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which
shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of
free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term
of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all
other Persons
 Representation
in the House of Representatives is
based on a state’s population…the more people
that live in a state, the more representatives that
state will have.
BUT DOESN’T POPULATION CHANGE?
Yes. So…
 Every
ten years the US Census Bureau records the
population of the United States.
 Set
the size of
the House at 435
members
 Made census
bureau
responsible for
determining the
# of seats each
states would
have…
Reapportionment
Act of 1929
Apportionment:
Redistricting:
Terms to Know
-write the definitions into your
notes.
After each census, Congress uses the new population count to
apportion (distribute) the 435 states among the states.
2010 Reapportionment
The regional patterns of change in congressional representation
between 2000 and 2010 reflect the nation's continuing shift in
population from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West.
 Once
seats are apportioned…
what’s next?
State legislatures decide the boundaries of the
congressional districts in its state.
How are
district
boundaries
drawn?
Wesberry v.
Sanders(1964) –
Court established
“one person – one
vote” principle –
(each person’s vote should
be roughly equal to all others)
Why are districts different sizes?
In the past, many boundaries were UNFAIR because districts in a
state varied in population size….so citizens in smaller districts had
greater representation than those in larger districts.
Wesberry v. Sanders led to the
redrawing of many
congressional districts….
There will always be differences
in population in districts but not
the HUGE variations of the past.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r7qJvprHXw
What is gerrymandering?
 The
process of drawing districts lines to benefit
one group or another
Wait…aren’t there rules?
Yes…districts must be


contiguous (physically touching)
of equal population
Where did the name
“gerrymandering” come from?
Election of 1812 – Massachusetts legislature
passed a redistricting bill  increasing the
chances of the Democratic-Republican
candidate, Thomas Jefferson’s chances of
winning….
Governor Elderidge Gerry
(a Federalist) signed bill &
took blame…
“Gerrymandering”
Types of gerrymandering
PARTISAN
 Benefits
one
political party over
another
 Party has enough
seats in legislature
to control the
process
RACIAL
 District
lines are
drawn to either
favor or harm an
ethnic or racial
group
Why? Political parties draw boundaries that would split
districts previously controlled by the opposing party…
Gerrymandering
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightlynews/53280343#53280343
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=659Owqa-XCE
Your Task: Redistrict and
gerrymander a fictional state.
 Each
letter
represents a
county in the state
as well as the party
that has the most
support in that
county.
 R = Republican
 D=Democrat
 Note
that in the
state the
Republican Party
actually has a
majority in only two
more counties than
the Democrats.
(13 R counties, 11 D)
Gerrymandering 101

The state has 5 congressional districts.

I am going to gerrymander the House districts
to give the Republican Party a 4-1 advantage
(even though the party only has 13 safe
Republican counties).

As I draw the lines, draw the same ones on
your Handout #1. This is Redistricting Plan 1.
Your turn…but watch the rules!
Rule: 1 person=1
vote…each
district must have
at least 4 counties
and not more
than 5
Rule: Districts
must be
contiguous, single
member districts
&
State legislatures
draw lines in most
states
You do it…
 Redraw
the lines to get the Democrats a
better deal.
And now…
 Re-draw
deal.
it so Republicans get a better
Did you get it?
Exit Questions
Answer on the back of handouts:
1.
2.
What are the consequences of redistricting or
reapportionment?
What is gerrymandering and why is it used?