The document summarizes discussions from a legislative class on July 3rd about redistricting and gerrymandering. It provides announcements about assignments due and links to articles on the impacts and examples of gerrymandering. It discusses majority-minority districts and court rulings, and provides examples of gerrymandered districts in North Carolina, Maryland, and Texas. It also summarizes research arguing that gerrymandering is not the primary cause of decreased political competition and that increased partisan polarization and financial advantages of incumbency have played a larger role.

1. DAY 6 – DISTRICTING
IN THE HOUSE
(CONT‟D.)
July 3, 2013

2. Announcements
 Fill out survey on which state you prefer to study
in your legislative portfolio.
 https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0TdRZT
fxQqVeU3r
 Current Events Essay #1 due on TUESDAY.
 Look over rubric and sample essay in Assignments
folder.
 Check with me if you have questions about the article
you selected.
 Article should focus on topics we‟ve covered in the
course.
 Elections
 Institutionalization
 Concepts of Representation and Responsiveness

3. Results If Plan Were Adopted
Nationwide
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/24/republican-vote-rigging-electoral-college_n_2546010.html
Pennsylvania Breakdown - http://www.politico.com/2012-election/map/#/President/2012/PA
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/11/07/1159631/americans-voted-for-a-democratic-house-gerrymandering-the-supreme-court-gave-them-speaker-
boehner/

4. http://www.publicmapping.org/redistricting-forecast

5. Gerrymandering
 District line-drawing
that purposefully
maximizes seats for
one party or voting
bloc.
 Types of
gerrymandering
 Partisan
 Pro-Incumbent
 Majority-minority
 http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=9RtKwhd6

6. Majority-Minority Districts
 Before VRA, “blacks were systematically
„packed‟ into or „cracked‟ across congressional
districts to weaken their influence” (DOL p.53)
 What are the pros and cons of majority-
minority districts?
 How have the courts ruled?

7. http://www.nationaljournal.co
m/congress/since-1982-
minority-congressional-
districts-have-tripled-graphic-
20120413

8. North Carolina 4th District
Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/NC/4

9. Maryland 3rd
Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/MD/3

10. Texas 27th
Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/TX/27

11. Texas 23rd
Source: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/TX/23

12. John Sides – “Gerrymandering is
not what‟s wrong with American
politics”
Why
should both
of these
lines slope
downwards
?

13. Sides - Gerrymandering

14. Abramowitz et al. (2006)
 Test three
hypotheses to
explain the decline
of competition in
U.S. House races
 Redistricting
Hypothesis
 Partisan Polarization
Hypothesis
 Incumbency
Hypothesis

15. Conclusions
 Declining
competition
explained by:
 A shift in the
partisan composition
of House districts.
 But most of the
change is occurring
between redistricting
cycles.
 Decline in ability of
challengers to
compete financially.
NOTE: Challengers classified as financially
competitive if they accounted for at least 40 percent of
combined challenger and incumbent spending. High-
risk districts are those in which vote percentage of vote
for presidential candidate of incumbent‟s party is less
than national percentage.

16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrvpZx
MfKaU
Happy Independence Day!