Gerrymandering: Crash Course Government and Politics #37
CrashCourse・9 minutes read
Congressional Apportionment is based on population and single-member districts elect one representative per district, creating challenges for minority representation and potential gerrymandering biases by state legislatures. Gerrymandering can lead to less competitive elections and solidly democratic or republican districts that do not accurately reflect a state's political makeup.
Insights
- The concept of one person, one vote ensures that each representative in the House of Representatives is responsible for approximately 700,000 people, promoting equal representation based on population size.
- Gerrymandering, driven by state legislatures, can create districts that favor a particular party, impacting the fairness of elections and potentially leading to less competitive congressional races and solidifying democratic or republican strongholds.
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Recent questions
How is Congressional Apportionment determined?
Based on state population, with each state having representatives.
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Summary
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"Congressional Apportionment and Gerrymandering in Elections"
- Congressional Apportionment is based on population, with California having the most representatives at 53, while sparsely populated states like Alaska and Wyoming have only one representative each.
- States are divided into single member districts, where each district elects one representative, ensuring equal or nearly equal populations in each district.
- The principle of one person, one vote ensures equal representation in the House of Representatives, with each representative responsible for about 700,000 people.
- Single member districts can make it challenging for minority groups to elect their own representatives, leading to the creation of majority-minority districts.
- Gerrymandering involves drawing districts to capture specific population characteristics, often resulting in districts favoring one party over another.
- State legislatures are responsible for drawing districts, often leading to biased districting to favor the party in power, which can impact the fairness of elections.
- Gerrymandering can result in districts that do not accurately reflect the political makeup of a state, potentially leading to less competitive congressional elections and solidly democratic or republican districts.
