POLSCI 318 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Equal Protection Clause, Voting Rights Act Of 1965, Strict Scrutiny
11 May 2018
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Congress and the President
9.14.16 Reading Notes: Congress and its Members (Ch 3 Going for It: Recruitment and Candidacy)
Formal rules of the game
Age: 25 for House, 30 for Senate
Citizenship: 7 years for House, 9 years for Senate
Residency for the state that the officeholder is selected
Senate Apportionment
One state, one vote
Widening disparities in state populations made Senate increasing unrepresentative
Research: disadvantages liberals, Democrats, African Americans, and Latinos
House Apportionment
435 House seats, each district averages 713,000 people each
Census every 10 years
House apportionment derived by method of equal proportions
Not fully equality of district population
o 1) Every state must receive one House member
o 2) Congressional districts cannot cross state lines
1929 – law enacted that established the permanent number of 435 for apportioning House seats
Census Politics
Article 1, section 2 – Census
Controversies surrounding census politics
1) Census is logistically and methodologically daunting
o Tri-caucus in the House concerned about undercounting hard-to-reach minorities (Asians,
Hispanics, and Blacks)
2) Statistical sampling
o For the 2000 census, the Census Bureau had planned to use statistical sampling to fix the
undercounting of the minority population
o Republicans feared that this method would result in an overcount of minorities (who tend
to vote Democratic)
o Issue brought to the Supreme Court and denied as a method of seat apportionment
3) Immigration
o 14th Amendment refers to persons rather than citizens
o States with large numbers of undocumented immigrants gain seats
Districting in the House
Congressional redistricting a state responsibility, but governed by two federal statutes
o 1967 statute – all states entitled to more than one seat must create districts that are
represented by a single member
o Voting Rights Act of 1965 – requires that districts not dilute the representation of racial
minorities
o Constitution interpreted to requires districts to be nearly equal in population
Redistricting can be carried out by independent commissions, by the state legislature, depending
on the state
o Judge may resolve redistricting deadlocks
A lot of money dedicated to winning state legislative and gubernatorial elections
Malapportionment
1960s – Supreme court cases ruling that districting not meeting population requirements violated
the Constitution
Reynolds v. Sims (1964) – ruled that 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause requires all stae
legislative seats be apportioned substantially on population
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
9. 14. 16 reading notes: congress and its members (ch 3 going for it: recruitment and candidacy) Age: 25 for house, 30 for senate. Citizenship: 7 years for house, 9 years for senate. Residency for the state that the officeholder is selected. Widening disparities in state populations made senate increasing unrepresentative. Research: disadvantages liberals, democrats, african americans, and latinos. 435 house seats, each district averages 713,000 people each. House apportionment derived by method of equal proportions. Census politics: 1) every state must receive one house member, 2) congressional districts cannot cross state lines. 1929 law enacted that established the permanent number of 435 for apportioning house seats. 1) census is logistically and methodologically daunting: tri-caucus in the house concerned about undercounting hard-to-reach minorities (asians, Redistricting can be carried out by independent commissions, by the state legislature, depending on the state. A lot of money dedicated to winning state legislative and gubernatorial elections.
