The composition of Congress Flashcards
How have women been represented in Congress?
They’ve been under-represented
Why was 1992 a key year for women in Congress?
Democrats declared “The year of the democrats”
Doubled number of women in Congress
What party are the majority of women in Congress from?
Democrats
What percentage of House representatives are women?
19%
What percentage of Senate representatives are women?
21%
Why is the representation of woman in Congress a problem?
It is not representative of America as a whole at all
In 2016, what was the Ratio of Democratic and Republican woman elected to the House?
62:21
In 2017, what % of state legislatures were women?
27%
Is representation by race better in the House or the Senate?
House
Why is representation by race better in the House than the Senate?
Federal courts
- allowed states to draw congressional district boundaries
- CDB’s likely to return a Representative from an ethnic minority group
What did the redrawing of district boundaries do for African Americans following 1990 census?
Boosted representation of AA’s in the House
By 2017, how many African-American representatives were Democrat?
All
By Jan 2017, how many AA senators were there?
3
What are the 3 main Hispanic states?
Texas
California
Florida
What % of the House are Hispanic?
8%
What % of the Senate are Hispanic?
4%
What % of the 2015-2016 (114th) Congress had previously served as Politicians?
60%
What is one reason why Christianity in Congress may be considered an issue in terms of representation?
It is more Christian than the nation as a whole
What is one reason why Judaism and Mormonism in Congress may be considered an issue in terms of representation?
They are both over-represented.
How many members of Congress are Buddhist/Hindu?
3
How many members of Congress are Muslims?
2
What is one issue of party representation in Congress?
Republican and Democratic parties dominate
Who are the two independent exceptions in Congress?
Bernie Sanders (Vermont) Angus King (Maine)
