1. Individual OrganizedDistrict as a Whole ConstituentsInterests Solve problems with *Introduce legislation *Obtain fed projects for agencies *Intervene with regulatory district Provide jobs agencies*Obtain grants & contracts Sponsor private bills *Obtain fed. grants that promote employment Service academy appts *Help importing/exporting*Support policies that enhance Answer complaints *Help securing favorable district econ. prosperity & Provide info tax status safety, cultural resources *Make promotional speeches*Participate in state & regional caucuses Representation by Members of Congress

2. Key Questions to Consider How does Congress represent the US as a whole? In what ways does the electoral system determine who is elected to Congress?

3. Representation –Each member’s primary responsibility is to the district, to his/her constituency not to the congressional leadership, a party or even Congress itself –Delegate v. Trustee Delegate==elected to do the bidding of those that sent them to Congress Trustee==selected to do what the legislator himself/herself think is “right” –Agency Representation Representatives are held accountable to their constituents if they fail to represent them properly Constituents have the power to hire and fire their representatives Incentive for good representation when the personal backgrounds, views, and interests of the representatives differ from their constituents’ Elections induce a member of Congress to act according to the preferences of his/her constituency Rationality principle==members of Congress are ambitious and want to get re-elected so they will serve the interests of their constituents in order to get re-elected

4. House and Senate: Differences in Representation –Senate—originally elected by state legislatures for six year term, designed to represent elite members of society & more attuned to interests of property as opposed to population; must be at least 30 and 9 years citizenship –House—2 year terms, always elected directly by the population; originally districts represented 30,000, now 1 per 600,000; must be at least 25 and 7 years citizenship

5. Roles in the Legislative Process Senate –More deliberative body –Smaller size gives leadership relatively little power & discourages specialization –Larger & more heterogeneous constituency therefore more agency representation –More coalition building –Focus on national issues House –More centralized and organized –Leadership has more control over legislative process & allow for specialization –Focus more on local issues b/c smaller, more homogenous constituency with more frequent elections –More partisan & ideologically split than the Senate—less chance of compromise

6. Example –Clinton Impeachment (1998) –House voted strictly down party lines –Senate—10 Republicans joined Democrats to acquit Clinton

7. How Congress Decides A. Constituency B. Interest Groups C. Party Discipline --maintained through 6 sources 1. Committee assignments 2. Floor access 3. Whip system 4. Logrolling 5. Leadership PACs 6. President D. Weighing Diverse Influences

8. Electoral System Running for Office: Who runs for Congress? –individual ambition of the person running –attract enough money to campaign from other politicians, interest groups, national party organizations contributions from PACs –congressional district overlapping state legislative boundaries may affect candidate’s decision to run

9. Incumbency –tools that help incumbents win Reputation & name recognition constituent service (also called casework) –2/3 of staff’s time is spent addressing constituents concerns –special bills, helping with bureaucratic agencies Patronage Franking—free mailings to constituents, no “campaign materials” Gerrymandering or redistricting

10. Patronage pork-barrel legislation—capture federal projects & funds for their district/state –most common form is an earmark –insert into otherwise pork-free bills language that provides special benefits for the constituent –Example—Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska Private bills-proposal to grant some kind of relief, special privilege, or exemption to the person name in the bill; most deal with foreign nationals who cannot get permanent visas

11. Principles of Redistricting Delineating Equal Population Race or Ethnicity –Voting Rights Act Sections 2 and 5 –Shaw v. Reno 1993 –Hunt v. Shaw 1996 The Cs of Redistricting –Compactness –Continuity –Community of Interest –Maintaining the Core of Existing Districts –Protection of Political Subdivision Partisan Impact

12. Redistricting and Congressional Districts

13. Redistricting

15. Louisiana

16. Georgia

17. Shaw v. Reno

18. Shaw v. Reno and 12 th District

19. Redistricting