Topic 7 - State Legislatures as Representative Institutions

Question 1

Internal Conflict in legislature

Answer 1

Internal conflict between legislature as a representative institution and as a lawmaking institution

Question 2

Legislature as Lawmaking Institution

Answer 2

• Also known as ‘wholesale’ politics
  Making Laws and bossing people around by …
• Enactment of laws
• Making the budget
• Oversight
• Confirmation of Appointments

Question 3

Legislature as Representative Institution

Answer 3

• Also known as ‘retail’ politics
  They have to appeal to people for their votes and money by …
• Representing interests of constituents
• Bringing funds & projects to district
• Constituent services

Question 4

How are Legislature as Representative Institution (individual) and Legislature as Lawmaking Institution (group) tied?

Answer 4

Pork Barrel legislature - lawmaking serving constituent interest
Constituent Service - boost public image
Redistrict

Question 5

Whats your state legislature look like?

Answer 5

• Members chosen by smaller body of voter
• Legislature reamain largely lay bodies
  
  • less professional, more normal
• Regular person with a real job
• 75% have college degrees

Question 6

How are legislature connected to Constitutents?

Answer 6

Linkage insitutions

Question 7

What is descriptive representation?
Are legislatures good at it?

Answer 7

Mirror the characteristics of the people they represent
It is rarely provided

Question 8

What is the Basis of Representation?

Answer 8

GEOGRAPHY
each level of gov is bounded by a geographical line

Question 9

Who draws the lines? and when?

Answer 9

state legislature draws its own lines after the Census (10 years)

Question 10

Size of a Congressional Districts

Answer 10

2% within the ideal size

Question 11

What is Malapportionment? When it end? What ended it

Answer 11

Uneven distribution of representatives
Ended in 1960s
Baker V Carr

Question 12

What did Baker V. Carr establish?

Answer 12

One person, One vote
Unequal representation goes against 14th amendment

dont need to remember:
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States

Question 13

Rules for redistricting

Answer 13

1. Equality of population
2. Conitguity : All parts must touch
3. Protect group : Voting Rights Act
4. Shape : Can be odd but not bizare

Question 14

What is Gerrymandering and its 2 types

Answer 14

redistricting with the purpose of getting and advantage
1. Racial (illegal)
2. Partisan (allowed)

Question 15

How do gerrymander

Answer 15

Packing: making a districit full of a certain type of people
Cracking: splitting groups up

Question 16

2003 TX redistricting controversy.
LULAC vs Perry

Answer 16

LULAC challeneged a redistictring change, claiming it weakened latino vote.
Got harder to prove in court that drawing districts just to favor one party was unconstitutional.
It’s okay for politicians to prioritize their party’s interests.

Question 16

2011 TX redistricting controversy.
Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

Answer 16

Texas was no longer a ‘covered state’

Question 16

Rucho v. Common Cause (2019)

Answer 16

gerrymandering “may be incompatible w/ democratic principles”

Question 17

Abbott v. Perez (2018)

Answer 17

Texas House district ruled an “impermissible racial gerrymander”

Question 18

Allen v. Milligan (2023)

Answer 18

whether Sect. 2 of Voting Rights Act should apply to redistricting context at all

Question 19

Do voters chose representatives or do representative chose voters?

Answer 19

Before 1960s: Growing rural-urban imbalance in representation & political power

Since 1960s: Growing partisanship in districts and Growing politicization of redistricting process

Now Redistricting largely determines “winners”