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Who determines the boundaries for congressional districts?

Who determines the boundaries for congressional districts?

The boundaries and numbers shown for the congressional districts are those specified in the state laws or court orders establishing the districts within each state. Congressional districts for the 108th through 112th sessions were established by the states based on the result of the 2000 Census.

What is the process of manipulating legislative district lines to favor a political party or group called?

Gerrymandering (/ˈdʒɛrimændərɪŋ/ or /ˈɡɛrimændərɪŋ/) is a practice intended to establish an arguably unfair political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts, which is most commonly used in first-past-the-post electoral systems.

What’s the difference between redistricting and reapportionment?

Redistricting is the process by which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn. Reapportionment is the reassignment of representation in congressional and state legislative districts due to changes in population, reflected in the Census population data.

What is reapportionment government?

The Constitutional basis for conducting the decennial census is to reapportion the U.S. House of Representatives. Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states.

Do congressional districts have to be contiguous?

Redistricting criteria The previous apportionment acts required districts be contiguous, compact, and equally populated. Each state can set its own standards for Congressional and legislative districts.

What are gerrymandered districts?

Gerrymandering is the practice of setting boundaries of electoral districts to favor specific political interests within legislative bodies, often resulting in districts with convoluted, winding boundaries rather than compact areas.

Why does reapportionment happen every 10 years?

Reapportionments normally occur following each decennial census, though the law that governs the total number of representatives and the method of apportionment to be carried into force at that time are enacted prior to the census.

What is reapportionment in simple words?

Reapportionment is the redistribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives based on changes in population. As states change population at different rates, the number of those 435 seats each one holds can go up or down—that is reapportionment.

What is a gerrymandering in government?

How often do state legislatures redraw their district lines?

Every 10 years, once the U.S. Census numbers are in, state legislatures redraw legislative district boundaries, which determine voting districts for both the U.S. Congress and state legislative elections. These lines are redrawn to better reflect population changes and shifts and to ensure each district roughly holds the same population size.

Who is responsible for redistricting in each state?

In most states, the state legislature has the primary responsibility for redrawing district lines. This takes place through the regular legislative process—like all legislation, the redistricting process requires a majority vote in each legislative chamber and is subject to a veto by the Governor. 1

Why does redistricting have to take place after a census?

Redistricting is the redrawing of legislative districts. By federal law, redistricting must occur following a census for two reasons. First, new districts must be drawn when a state gains or loses congressional districts as a result of the apportionment of congressional districts to the states.

What is the definition of contiguity in redistricting?

Contiguity: All parts of a district being connected at some point with the rest of the district. Preservation of counties and other political subdivisions: This refers to not crossing county, city, or town, boundaries when drawing districts.