Department of Commerce: 2.2 Flashcards
census
national population count; used to assign reps in the House on basis of each state’s population; every 10 years (since 1790); conducted by US Census Bureau
reapportionment
renumbering; process of reassigning based on each state’s population after every census; states with slow growth/ population decrease can loose reps in the House; states with strong population can gain
1929
Congress established the number of members in the House at 435 total; each census determines how those numbers are divided among the states
redistricting
rezoning; process of redrawing district lines after reapportionment completed; each state legislature draws their own boundaries for each congressional district in their state, each district get 1 rep; district lines remain intact for 10 years until next census
gerrymandering
process in which the dominate political party in state legislatures redraw district boundaries to give them an electoral advantage over other party