CON - Congressional Districts Lesson

Congressional Districts

Spotlight on Gerrymandering and Apportionment: Gerrymandering is the practice of redrawing electoral districts to gain an electoral advantage for a political party. The political cartoon to the right was drawn in response to newly drawn districts favoring the Democratic-Republican candidates of Governor Gerry of MA over the Federalists. Federalist newspaper editors likened the map to a salamander and the word gerrymander was a blend of that word and Governor Gerry's last name. Apportionment: It is the process of allocating the political power of a set of constituent voters among their representatives in a governing body. The quantity (apportionment) and boundaries (redistricting) of districts are determined after each census, although in some cases states have changed the boundaries more than once per census. The census is used to gauge each state's population and thus, proportional need for representation. Due to the shifts in population a state may gain or lose congressional districts. For example, since the 2000 census, Nebraska has had three districts, but it used to have as many as six. Texas currently has 32 districts but will be adding 4 due to reapportionment as a result of the 2010 census. Other states will lose districts since the number of congressional seats has been set at 435 by statute.

The boundaries of districts often shift with each redistricting. Over time, the region and demographics represented in a district can change substantially. Furthermore, districts sometimes retain the same boundaries while changing their district numbers.

Court Cases to Know:

  • Baker v. Carr (1961): This course case considered the following issue: Could a federal court hear a constitutional challenge to a state's apportionment plan for the election of state legislators? To read more about this case, select the Baker v. Carr link in More Resources on this page.
  • Shaw v. Reno (1993): This court case considered the following question: Did the North Carolina residents who objected to the majority-minority district raise a valid question under the Fourteenth Amendment? This case determined that redistricting due to race must be held to strict scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause. The Congressional district in question was the 12th Congressional district in North Carolina. 

 

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