Reapportionment to be
Critical Analysis
Based on current population trends as illustrated in the map above, what state will gain the most new congressional seats in 2020?
Based on current population trends as illustrated in the map above, how many states will lose a congressional seat in 2020?
What story does the map tell?
What geographical region of the United States is losing the most congressional seats?
What geographical regions of the United States are gaining congressional seats?
Based on these geographical trends, what changes might we expect in U.S. politics in the next election?
Describe the mechanism that determines how much representation each state gets?
Is there a maximum or minimum number of U.S. congressional seats a state can have?
What agency determines the official United States population?
Nebraska has a unicameral legislature!!!!! Yes, it's true. How would U.S. politics and policy change if we had a unicameral legislature with representation based only on the population of each state?
How does reapportionment differ from redistricting?
Because of the changes in the 2010 census most of the lost U.S. House seats came from Democratic leaning states (see below). Do you think the 2020 changes will be better for Republicans or Democrats?
Make a claim about whether seats in the U.S. House should be reapportioned every ten years.
Explain the connection between today’s topic and the landmark Supreme Court case, Baker v. Carr.
Learning Extension
Read this story on reapportionment in the Economist.
Action Extension
The United States Census Bureau crunches numbers like they are cereal. Check out their wicked cool population clock then share your favorite statistic or fact you learned online or in class.
