REAPPORTIONMENT REDISTRICTING GERRYMANDERING Unit 6 US Congress https

REAPPORTIONMENT, REDISTRICTING & GERRYMANDERING Unit 6 US Congress https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=bh 4 q. AJDUOcc

EQ #2: How does reapportionment, redistricting & Gerrymandering effect membership in the House of Representatives?

Map of US by the 435 districts of HOR!

Q 1: what does the US Constitution mandate for the HOR? Who does this? • For a full state by state count of US population • The US Census bureau • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=RUCnb 5_HZc 0

Q 2: Define Reapportionment. What may be its result? • The distribution of 435 seats for the House of Representatives across the 50 states based on population. • Some states may gain representation due to a rising population, and some will lose representation due to a decrease in their state population.

Q 3: Define Redistricting. Who is in charge of the process? What might they try and do? • The process of erasing the old district lines and drawing new district lines based on the census count for all 50 states. • The majority party in each state legislature • They may try and rig the maps and draw the new districts in a way that gives their party an unfair advantage politically.

Q 4: Define Gerrymandering. Who started this process? • The manipulation of electoral district lines in each state by that state government’s majority party to gain an advantage in voting against the opposition/minority party. • The governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry, who signed off on a map in his state that gave his party, the Democratic-Republican party, an advantage. • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 BNJi. Uu-1 E 8

Q 5: How did each Act or Case below affect the practice of Gerrymandering? • Reapportionment Act of 1842: act by Congress requiring congressional districts to be contiguous (sharing a common border; touching) and compact. • Wesberry v. Sanders, 1962 Supreme Court case: districts must follow the principle of "one man, one vote" (all roughly equal in population) and have fair borders and an appropriate population mixture. (see also Baker v. Carr) • Supreme Court ruling in 1985: manipulating district borders to give an advantage to one political party was unconstitutional.

Q 6: List & explain the three main techniques of gerrymandering: • a. Packing: taking the voting blocks of the minority party and packing them in a few districts, but making the rest of the districts all be in favor of majority party • b. Cracking: cracking the voting blocks of opposition party and diluting their vote into districts made up of mostly majority residences and voters • c. Stacking: drawing bizarre boundary lines bringing far away stretched out places into a district as a way of securing majority voters in that district • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Yc. UDBg. Yod. IE

Q 7: When is the next census conducted? When must the report be ready by? • 2020 • Must be ready and sent off to each state legislature by st April 1 , 2021

A B C

Gerrymandering exercise: 8. Circles 9. A 10. C 11. C 12. B 13. A = Packing because the circles have packed the square voters in one district while taking the rest B = example of Stacking, how one district totally encircles another, this is not contiguous and compact C = an example of Cracking do to circles diluting the squares and sprinkling a few of them in each district but not enough to have a majority in any district!

The Redistricting Game • Go into google and type “the redistricting game” • Click on the “redistricting game” • Click “play the game” • Start with playing mission game 1 and get a feel for how to create a district with roughly the same population in each • Then play mission game 2 “partisan gerrymandering” and see if you can rig the districts to favor one party against the other • Be ready to discuss some of your findings and experience from playing this game.