reapportionment & redistricting. constitution senators –6 years –selected by state...
Post on 21-Dec-2015
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Constitution
• Senators– 6 years– Selected by state legislatures– 17th Amendment, 1913: Direct election
• Members of House of Representatives– 2 years– Directly elected by people
Reapportionment
• When the federal government reallocates seats among the states after the decennial census
Gains and losses due to 2000 reapportionment
• Gains– CA (+1)
– AZ (+2)
– CO (+1)
– FL (+2)
– GA (+2)
– NV (+1)
– TX (+2)
• Losses– CT (-1)
– NY (-2)
– IL (-1)
– IN (-1)
– MI (-1)
– OH (-1)
– OK (-1)
– PA (-2)
– WI (-1)
Redistricting
• When states redraw congressional district boundaries after decennial census
• Wesberry v. Sanders (1964)– Each district must have equal population
Simulation• Each district must have three people.
• Men and women care about different political outcomes. Men will vote for men. Women will vote for women. How many women will be elected in the current plan?
• Try to maximize the number of women elected.
• In addition, flip flop wearers will only vote for flip flop wearers, and vice versa. How many flip flop wearers will be elected in the current plan.
• Flip-flop wearers have been the subject of discrimination. Try to get them as much representation as possible.
Conflicting Values
• Contiguity of boundaries (requirement)• Equal population (requirement)• Compactness• Keeping together communities of interest• Protecting interests of racial minorities• Partisan gerrymandering• Incumbent protection• Maximizing competition
Constitution: election to the House of Representatives
• Election every 2 years• Must be 25 years old• Citizenship for 7 years• Live in the state• Selected same way as largest house of state
legislature (popular vote)• Apportioned among states based on population
Constitution: election to the Senate
• Election every 6 years– Three Classes
• Must be at least 30 years old
• Citizen for 9 years
• Live in the state
• Selected by state legislatures
• 2 per state
Rules governing election to Congress
• The Constitution
• Single-member, winner-take all districts
• Reapportionment and redistricting
• Primary election laws– Open vs. Closed
• FECA
Federal Election Campaign Act(as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002)
• Contribution limit (individuals) = $2000
• Total cycle contribution limit = $95,000
• Contribution limit (PACs) = $5000
Sources of incumbent advantage
• Voters recognize their name
• Gerrymandering
• Privileges of office
• Ease of raising money
Cost of campaigns
2000 House:
• Ave. expenditures: $693,952
• Incumbents’ ave. expenditures: $814,507
• Challengers’ ave. expenditures: $369,823
Where does money come from?House candidates' ave. funding sources,
2000
Candidate11%
Individuals51%
Other5%
Party2%
PACs31%
Individuals PACs Party Candidate Other
Where does money come from?Senate candidates' funding sources, 2000
PACs13%
Party4%
Candidate24%
Other6%
Individuals53%
Individuals PACs Party Candidate Other
Fundraising9.40%
TV21.80%
Staff salaries17.80%
Other comm.3.90%
Travel 2.5%
Polling2.1%Direct mail
8.10%
Radio ads12.30%
Newspaper ads .4%
Voter reg/GOTV
1.30%
Campaign literature
8.00%
Overhead10.50%
Budget of a typical House campaign
Median Voter Theorem
• Assume that Ideology and issue positions are normally distributed in the population
• In a winner-take-all system, candidates will try to get one more vote than the other candidate by moving toward the center.
• Goal is to win over the “median voter”
Free-Write
Write a short essay discussing what constitutes good representation, in your mind. What characteristics of a representative would make you feel like he or she should do a good job representing you and your interests? What behavior should a good representative engage in? When, if ever, should a representative put his constituents’ interests aside and think of the greater good?
You will turn this essay in for participation credit.