American Government and Organization PS1301-164 Friday, 26 September

Review Quiz Descriptive Representation

Gerrymandering Gerrymander takes its name from Gov. Elbridge Gerry (1810-1812) of Mass whose party created an artful electoral map intended to maximize its seats. Contemporary observers latched onto one district in particular, in the shape of a salamander, and pronounced it a Gerry-mander.

Gerrymandering Equal populations Partisan Incumbency Racial

Supreme Court Decisions Baker vs. Carr (1962) launched the “reapportionment revolution”. The suit was brought by urban plaintiffs in Tennessee who challenged their state legislature’s failure to reapportion despite widespread population shifts Malapportionment refers to inequalities in district populations. Court ruled that it violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws. “One person one vote”. Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) Decision was extended to U.S. House of Representatives

Consequences Massive Redistricting Further Litigation Democratic advantage (control of state legislatures and the courts) Incumbency advantage

Racial Gerrymandering Voting Rights Act of 1965 restrained states from diluting (cracking) minority votes. Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Mississippi had a majority district (66%) continued to elect white congressman because blacks were denied the right to vote. 1982 Amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 fostered the creation of majority-minority districts.

Majority Minority Districts Thornburg v Gingles (1986) The decision by the Supreme Court enunciated tests to determine whether a minority’s representation had been compromised Is the group large enough and located in a compact enough area to elect a representative if grouped into a single district? Is the group politically cohesive? Is there evidence of racially polarized voting by the majority against candidates of that group?

Majority Minority Districts In 1990--creation of 15 new African American districts (total of 32) Creation of 9 new Latino districts (total of 20). All but one of these districts elected a minority North Carolina’s 12th linked black neighborhoods along 160 miles of I85 from Durham to Charlotte.

Racial Gerrmandering

Supreme Court Intervenes Shaw v. Reno (1993) Under a 5-4 ruling, two North Carolina districts were declared--the 1st and the 12th in violation of the equal protection under the law by diluting white votes the districts were criticized for being too irregular--looked like segregation by race.

Texas Districts The Debate: Democrats have a 17-15 majority in the current Texas congressional delegation. State lawmakers failed to redraw the congressional district in 2001. Proposals were submitted to state and federal courts and a decision was made in November 2001 to adopt the districts for the 2002 election. The GOP is pushing plans that would give them as many as 21 seats. Link to Save Texas Reps Current and proposed districts: On September 24 both houses of the Texas Legislature voted to adopt the plan. Consequences