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#68 From Bill to Law
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Who’s in Congress & How They Got There
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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
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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)
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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?
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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
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What’s safe? What’s marginal?
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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
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What are two important effects of the way people get elected to Congress?
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Making Laws Oversight Constituency Casework
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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?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh4qAJD UOcc
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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.
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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
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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?
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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
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