BELL RINGER 141 Eminent Domain Federalism Redistricting Gerrymandering

BELL RINGER #141 Eminent Domain

Federalism: Redistricting & Gerrymandering

TODAY WE WILL … Objectives • Explain how state legislatures apportion seats in the US House of Representatives & state legislatures • Define: gerrymandering, census and apportionment Agenda 1. Slides/notes 2. “Packing & Cracking” video 3. Simulation 4. Closure HW: enjoy Super Bowl Sunday

LET’S REVIEW How is power divided between our national and state governments? (use the vocabulary words: Federalism, Expressed, Implied, Reserved, Concurrent)

STATE LEGISLATURES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR … Enacting laws Levying taxes Creating budgets What is the Virginia state legislature called?

APPORTIONMENT, REDISTRICTING & GERRYMANDERING

APPORTIONMENT The Constitution requires that districts be reapportioned following each census. § There are 435 seats (fixed number) in the House. § How should these seats be allocated based on changing populations? § Done every 10 years based on census data.

APPORTIONMENT

THEN STATES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REDISTRICTING Redistricting is the redrawing of boundaries of legislative districts.

WHAT IS A DISTRICT? Each seat in the US House of Representatives represents one congressional district

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Explain redistricting in your own words. Why would political parties care about how many seats they will have in the House of Representatives?

GERRYMANDERING Gerrymandering = the drawing of electoral district lines to the advantage of a party or group.

TWO STRATEGIES Two forms of gerrymandering 1. To concentrate the opposition voters in few districts 2. To spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts Goal is to create as many “safe” districts as possible https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=bh 4 q. AJ DUOcc

GERRYMANDERING ACTIVITY 1. When you get your map, write your name and party at the top. 2. Review the map key with your partner. 3. You are part of the redistricting committee. Divide your state into 10 equal districts with 100, 000 people in each. § You need 10 circles in each district. 4. In pencil, draw the district lines in such a way so that your political party has a good chance to win a majority of seats in the next election. § § 5. Hint – you need at least 6 circles for a majority. Try to put the other party’s voters together in as few as districts as possible to “waste” those votes. Number each district 1 -10 and circle the number of districts that favor your party.

SHARE Meet with all the other legislators for your state. 6. Find another small group of your same party and state. Compare how you redistricted. Answer all the questions on your worksheet and turn it in at the end of the block.

TICKET OUT THE DOOR #60 Representation in the House of Representatives https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ucm 9 eh. Ye 4 NM