 #68 From Bill to Law

Who’s in Congress & How They Got There

OBJECTIVES  Describe the characteristics of members of Congress and outline the process for electing members of Congress  Create congressional districts that give electoral advantage to a political party (gerrymandering) AGENDA  Slide/notes review Set #3  Gerrymandering activity  One Person, One Vote article  Closure  HW – Question Set #4

 What are the trends of gender and race in Congress?  Less male & less white  Senate slower to change  Members of color may gain influence more quickly than women because the former often come from safe districts (where incumbents win by wide margins)

QUALIFICATIONS  House: (term?)  Age  Citizenship  Residence?  Senate: (term?)  Age  Citizenship  Residence? PRIVILEGES  “Privileged speech” means that Congressmen cannot be sued or prosecuted for anything they say or write in connection w/law making  Each house judges “elections, returns & qualifications” of its members  Disputed elections  Punishment: reprimand, censure & expel  Franking Privilege At what point is speech NOT protected?

 Media coverage is higher for incumbents  Incumbents have greater name recognition due to franking, travel to the district, news coverage  Incumbents can raise more money  Members secure policies and programs for voters  Most House districts are safe not MARGINAL  Senators are less successful as incumbents

 What’s safe? What’s marginal?

 Second time they run, incumbents get 8-10% more votes  Began in the 1960s  Personal Campaigns vs. Party Campaigns  Franking privilege  Trips home  Access to media  Services to district  Run “against” Congress

 What are two important effects of the way people get elected to Congress?

Making Laws Oversight Constituency Casework

 Representational View  “delegate”  Organizational View  “politico”  Attitudinal View  “Trustee” Think, Pair, Share Why do you think a member of Congress might sometimes act as a trustee rather than a delegate?

UOcc

 Malapportionment: When the district lines are drawn so that one district contains a much greater population than other districts within the state  Is it “one person, one vote” or “one person, one voter”?  Gerrymandering: drawing a district boundary in some bizarre shape to make it easy for the candidate of one party to win election in that district.

 Districts drawn to make it easier for minority citizens to elect a representative  Descriptive Representation: Demographics of representative & constituents match  Substantive Representation: Ideology of representative & constituents match  Voting practices of African American & white liberal representatives very similar

 Reading One Person, One Vote  Underline and understand the cases of  Baker v Carr  Reynolds v Sims  What does this article say about the selection of Supreme Court judges and the role of politics in the court?

 Do you think that the power state legislatures have to draw district lines plays an unfair role in how parties sway the national Congress?  HW Set #4