Essay 13

Congressional Deportation is the reallocation of the number of representatives
each state has in the House of Representatives. Reapportionment increases or decreases the number of seats a state has in the House/Congress. More representatives mean that a state has more influence, as the number of representatives in each state increases or decreases a state's number of electoral votes.
Congressional redistricting is the drawing or redrawing of congressional district lines.
During this process, politicians often "gerrymander"or manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency so as to favor one party or class.
Politicians may choose to "pack" or "crack" representatives in district territories, depending on the circumstances. Packing clumps representatives of a party in a single district, allowing the other party to win the remainder of the districts. Cracking splits distributes representatives among multiple districts, to prevent them from constituting a majority. Two of politician's main goals of using this tactic are to enhance the political party strength and minimize the opposite party's strength and to protect incumbents.
Two limits that the United States Supreme Court has has placed on congressional redistricting include that districts must be equally populated, and district lines must be connected.


2008-1) Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.
(a) Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is important to states.
(b) Define congressional redistricting.
(c) Explain two goals of politicians when they gerrymander during redistricting.
(d) Describe two limits that the United State Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.


http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap08_gopo_us_sgs.pdf