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Unit III: Institutions of Government

Unit III: Institutions of Government. Congress In what ways are the House and Senate different?. Unit III: Institutions of Government. Congress In what ways are the House and Senate different? Proportional vs. Equal representation Term of Service Age Powers?.

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Unit III: Institutions of Government

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  1. Unit III: Institutions of Government • Congress • In what ways are the House and Senate different?

  2. Unit III: Institutions of Government • Congress • In what ways are the House and Senate different? • Proportional vs. Equal representation • Term of Service • Age • Powers?

  3. Unit III: Institutions of Government • Congress • Census used to determine the number of representatives each state gets

  4. Unit III: Institutions of Government

  5. Congress: How representative is it? • Is it fair that California Senators Feinstein and Boxer represent 37 million people while Wyoming Senators Barrasso and Enzi represent 568,000?

  6. Congress: How representative is it? British legacy • Single member districts with plurality elections • First past the post vs. Proportional representation systems

  7. Congress: The Two Party System • Why does the United States have a two party system?

  8. Congress: The Two Party System • Why does the United States have a two party system? • Duverger’s Law: First past the post electoral systems with plurality elections lead to Two-party political systems

  9. Congress: The Two Party System • Proportional representation systems lead to multiparty system • The need for coalition building leads to greater minority representation

  10. Congress: The Two Party System • Proportional representation systems lead to multiparty system • The need for coalition building leads to greater minority representation

  11. Congress: The Two Party System • Partisan Redistricting • a.k.a. Gerrymandering • Drawing the boundaries of a Congressional district so as to favor one party over another

  12. Congress: The Two Party System • Partisan Redistricting • Parties use this process to choose their voters before the voters get a chance to choose them. • This minimizes the role of the voter.

  13. Congress: The Two Party System • Partisan Redistricting • In 2008, incumbents lost 3 US House races in Florida-- in 1982-2006, incumbents won 242 of 246 races • In 2008, the average US House race in Illinois was won 70% to 30%-since 1994, more than half of winners have been "untouchable"

  14. Congress: The Two Party System • Racial Gerrymandering • North Carolina’s Majority/Minority districts • Shaw v. Reno (1993) • Shaw v. Hunt (1996)

  15. Congress: The Two Party System • Racial Gerrymandering • North Carolina’s Majority/Minority districts • Shaw v. Reno (1993) • District 12 – bright green

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