How are legislative districts drawn?

Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, and Washington use independent commissions to draw House districts, while Hawaii and New Jersey use “politician commissions” to draw House districts. Most states draw new lines by passing a law the same way any other law is passed, but some states have special procedures.

What are the two ways districts can be gerrymandered?

Two principal tactics are used in gerrymandering: “cracking” (i.e. diluting the voting power of the opposing party’s supporters across many districts) and “packing” (concentrating the opposing party’s voting power in one district to reduce their voting power in other districts).

What is drawing district boundaries for political gain called?

Gerrymandering, the practice of drawing district boundaries to achieve political advantage for legislators, involves the manipulation of district boundaries to leave out, or include, specific populations in a particular district to ensure a legislator’s reelection or to advantage their party.

How are political districts identified?

Each congressional district is expected to be equal in population to all other congressional districts in a state. The boundaries and numbers shown for the congressional districts are established by their respective state’s constitution or court orders in the apportionment and redistricting cycle.

How many electoral districts are there in the United States?

In the United States, electoral districts for the federal House of Representatives are known as congressional districts (of which there are presently 435; the number can be changed but has remained at 435 since 1912, except for a brief period from 1959-1962 when two seats were temporarily added for the then-new States …

How is the number of congressmen determined?

Under Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states by population, as determined by the census conducted every ten years. Each state is entitled to at least one representative, however small its population.

Which state has the most Congressmen?

State with the most: California (53), same as in 2000. States with the fewest (only one district “at-large”): Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.

What is the maximum number of terms a senator can serve?

Senate Joint Resolution 21, if approved by two-thirds of the Members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and if ratified by three-fourths of the States, will limit Senators to two terms and Members of the House of Representatives to six terms.

How long must you be a citizen to be a senator?

The Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of two senators from each State (therefore, the Senate currently has 100 Members) and that a senator must be at least thirty years of age, have been a citizen of the United States for nine years, and, when elected, be a resident of the State from which he or she …

How is the speaker of the House of Representatives elected?

The Speaker is elected at the beginning of a new Congress by a majority of the Representatives-elect from candidates separately chosen by the majority- and minority-party caucuses. These candidates are elected by their party members at the organizing caucuses held soon after the new Congress is elected.

Can anyone be Speaker of the House?

As the Constitution does not explicitly state that the speaker must be an incumbent member of the House, it is permissible for representatives to vote for someone who is not a member of the House at the time, and non-members have received a few votes in various speaker elections over the past several years.

Why is the speaker of the House third in line for president?

A 1947 law changed the order of succession to place the Speaker of the House in line after the vice president, followed by the president pro tempore, and then the secretary of state and other cabinet officers in order of their departments’ creation. This is the system in effect today.

What rights does the speaker of the house have?

Today, the Speaker has the same right as other Members to vote but only occasionally exercises it. Manual Sec. 631. The Speaker may vote on any matter that comes before the House, and he is required to vote where his vote would be decisive or where the House is engaged in voting by ballot.

What is the Speaker of the House role?

Elected by the whole of the House of Representatives, the Speaker acts as leader of the House and combines several roles: the institutional role of presiding officer and administrative head of the House, the role of leader of the majority party in the House, and the representative role of an elected member of the House …

How many years does Speaker of the House serve?

The House elects a new speaker by roll call vote when it first convenes after a general election for its two-year term, or when a speaker dies, resigns or is removed from the position intra-term.

Who makes up the House leadership quizlet?

The House and The Senate. Elected by the whole of the House of Representatives, acts as leader of the House and combines several roles: presiding officer and administrative head, leader of the majority party in the House, and an elected member of the House.

What are the main leadership positions in the House quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

Speaker of the house. – John Boehner. – elected by whole house.
House Majority Leader. – Kevin McCarthy. – lead speaker for majority party during floor debates.
House majority whip. – Steve Scalise. – assist floor leader.
House Minority leader. – Nancy Pelosi.
House Minority Whip. – Steny Hoyer.

What leadership position is chosen in the House of Representatives quizlet?

The title of the leader of the House of Representatives is Speaker of the House. The current leader, third in the line of President (meaning President Trump) is Nancy Pelosi .

What is the role of the House and Senate floor leader quizlet?

Most powerful leader in Congress. Most important job is to decide what bills will be debated by the full House and when. He or she also presides over the House, assigns bills to committees, and appoints members to special committees.

How are legislative districts drawn?

What Supreme Court case established that race Cannot be a main factor for determining voting districts?

Vera, 517 U.S. 952 (1996), is a United States Supreme Court case concerning racial gerrymandering, where racial minority majority-electoral districts were created during Texas’ 1990 redistricting to increase minority Congressional representation.

When congressional districts are drawn to favor one political party over another it is referred to as?

Gerrymandering is the practice of setting boundaries of electoral districts to favor specific political interests within legislative bodies, often resulting in districts with convoluted, winding boundaries rather than compact areas.

When redrawing district lines what is the strategy to disperse a group of voters?

What are the 3 rules of redistricting?

Redistricting criteria

compactness.
contiguity.
equal population.
preservation of existing political communities.
partisan fairness.
racial fairness.

Who typically draws the political districts in each state quizlet?

They are drawn by the majority party in that state. So if there are 6 republican congressmen and 5 democrat congressmen the republicans can draw the district lines.

What level of government national or state is responsible for drawing the district boundaries every 10 years quizlet?

taken by the federal government every 10 years. Determines the number of each state’s congressional districts, leads to redrawing of district lines — congressional redistricting. the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

What body is usually responsible for drawing new congressional district lines quizlet?

United States Congress is made up of two houses, which is the Senate and the House of Representatives. In most states, the state legislature draws the boundary lines for each congressional election district.

What process did states use to redraw district boundaries quizlet?

Redistricting

Which of the following is the best example of a fragmented state?

Which of the following is the best example of a fragmented state? Indonesia, because it is broken up into islands, or fragments. You just studied 21 terms!

What happens if legislators can’t agree on the new lines quizlet?

This is where bills that create controversy in legislation end up (between the House and the Senate) When they can’t agree they send them there so they can work out an agreement together that is called a conference report.

How does the process of redistricting and gerrymandering work quizlet?

Redistricting is the process of setting up district lines after reapportionment. Gerrymandering is drawing district boundaries to give one party an advantage. At-large refers to a statewide vote. Censure is a vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions.

What is the process of gerrymandering quizlet?

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census. Drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

Who is responsible for redistricting quizlet?

Terms in this set (10) The party controlling the legislature controls the redistricting process.

What is gerrymandering in simple terms?

Gerrymandering is when a political group tries to change a voting district to create a result that helps them or hurts the group who is against them. It is named after Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814) of the Democratic-Republican Party, which later coalesced into the modern Democratic Party.

What does gerrymandering mean quizlet?

gerrymandering. The drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent.

Where did the term gerrymandering originate?

“Gerrymandering” was named for Elbridge Gerry, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. As Governor of Massachusetts (1810–1812), Gerry approved a redistricting plan for the state senate that gave the political advantage to Republicans.

What is partisan gerrymandering quizlet?

Partisan Gerrymandering. drawing a district to favor one political party over others. Racial Gerrymandering. drawing a district to favor one racial group over others. Reapportionment.

What is the difference between partisan and racial gerrymandering quizlet?

Gerrymandering is drawing district lines for political advantage. Partisan gerrymandering does not violate federal court standards for “equal protection” under the 14th amendment. Affirmative racial gerrymandering is drawing district boundary lines to maximize minority representation.

Which of the following is a consequence of partisan gerrymandering quizlet?

Which of the following is a consequence of partisan gerrymandering? challengers to raise money.

Why is gerrymandering good quizlet?

Protects incumbents and discourages challengers. Strengthens majority party while weakening minority party. You just studied 3 terms!

What problems can gerrymandering cause quizlet?

Why is gerrymandering bad? Gerrymandering means to draw congressional districts to the advantage of the political party that controls the State’s legislature. This is a tactic that does not give equal representation to minority groups in the Congress.

What are two possible solutions for gerrymandering quizlet?

What are some possible solutions to gerrymandering? 1) set up a group free from political control (an independent commission) to draw boundaries. 2) have a bipartisan commission redistricting, where both parties draw boundaries together to have equal representation and compromise (strike a sort of bargain).

What is gerrymandering effect on elections quizlet?

Gerrymandering impacts the presidential election by affecting state races and House of Representative races. It does not affect senatorial races or presidential races as districts do not matter in those kinds of races. It is most commonly seen in elections for the House of Representatives.

How can a state’s gerrymandering impact government at the national level quizlet?

redraw voting districts that are roughly equal in population. How can a state’s gerrymandering impact government at the national level? A state can draw districts favoring votes for one party to the House of Representatives.

Why does gerrymandering occur quizlet?

why does gerrymandering occur? -To manipulate party lines to benefit a candidate.

What is gerrymandering and how is it used quizlet?

the act of redrawing the lines of a congressional district district to give one political party a voting advantage over another.

What type of gerrymandering is illegal quizlet?

Tactics such as “packing” black voters into a given district or “cracking” them to make black voters a minority in all districts can be illegal. This sort of gerrymandering was first used in the South after the Civil War to dilute black vote.

Who benefits from gerrymandering quizlet?

Which group of politicians does gerrymandering benefit? The politicians that draw the line of the district (whoever will have more republicans/ democrats in one area will be the ones to benefit.

Which of the following is a tactic of gerrymandering quizlet?