Chapter 4 Terms Flashcards
What are the two of the most fundamental principles of a democracy?
- The right to vote
2. The value of that vote
In the United States, what is the number of representatives for a state based upon?
- The population of that state
In the United States, representatives are re-allocated every ___ years.
- 10
What was the first presidential veto in the US?
Who did it?
In what year?
- Allocation
- George Washington
- 1792
In what year did Hamilton and Jefferson propose their apportionment plans?
- 1790
Standard Divisor
- The total population/the no. of representatives
Standard Quota
- Only used in the Hamilton Plan
- Dividing the population of each state by the divisor and rounding the number that you get down to the nearest whole number
Apportionment
- The method of dividing a whole into various parts
Steps of the Hamilton Plan
Step 1. Determine the standard divisor
Step 2. Divide the population of each state by the standard divisor and round down to the nearest whole number
Step 3. Check to see if the total quota is equal to the number of representatives
Step 4. Add additional representatives one at a time to states with “largest decimal” remainders until all representatives are assigned.
The Difference in the Jefferson Plan
- A modified standard divisor that…
- Will equal the desired number of representatives without having to add or subtract any from the numbers you receive.
The Alabama Paradox
- When increasing the number of members, a state may lose a seat
Quota Rule
- The number of members apportioned to a state is the standard quota or one more than the standard quota
- The Jefferson Rule can violate this
Average Constituency
- State population/no. of representatives from that state
Absolute Unfairness
- “a” gets rep - “b” stays same = absolute unfairness of “a”
- Same for “b”
Relative Unfairness
- Absolute unfairness/ new average constituency of state receiving new rep
