27D. Discuss the formation of Congressional districts, including apportionment, reapportionment, redistricting, and gerrymandering as mandated by the Baker v. Carr(1962) Decision.

Matt Silva

Logan Garletts

Navaz Hussain

• 435 separate congressional districts

• constitution makes no mention of congressional districts

• two types of districts

• Single-member district- the voters in each district elect one of the State’s representatives from among a field of candidates from a certain district

• at-large- elected from the state as a whole, rather than from a particular district

• The general ticket system was done away with by 1842

• 1842 law made each State legislature responsible for drawing congressional districts within its own State

• all districts must be of “compact territory”- small area

• Apportioned- distribution of Seats in the House of Representatives based on a State’s respective population

• Seven states only have one seat- Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming

• There is no constitutional limit on the number of terms any member of Congress may serve

• Reapportion- redistribute, the seats in the House after each decennial census

• Reapportionment Act of 1929 set up an “automatic reapportionment”

• The act provided that 1. The “permanent” size of the

House is 435 members, unless Congress decides to change it

2. Following each census, the Census Bureau is to determine the number of seats each State should have

3. When the Bureau’s plan is ready, the president must send it to Congress

4. If, within 60 days of receiving it, neither house rejects the Census Bureau’s plan, it becomes effective

• Gerrymandering- congressional districts that have been drawn to the advantage of the political party that controls the State’s legislature

• Gerrymandering is widespread today

• gerrymandering takes two forms

1. to concentrate the opposition’s voters in one or a few districts, comfortably safe for the dominant party

2. To spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts, limiting the opposition's ability to win anywhere in the region

• Gerrymandering main goal is to create many “safe” districts as possible

• In a 6- 2 ruling the Supreme Court held that federal courts have the power to determine the constitutionality of a State's voting districts.

• Carr lived in Tennessee