Investigation 2: History of the US Census and Apportionment
Mattie Di Giovanni & Julion Cruz
- What kinds of information does the US Census collect?
. Household number/ Relationships
. Age
.Race
. Sex
- Look at the interactive graphic at http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/interactives/multiracial-timeline/ about the race categories collected by the US Census and describe how they have changed? What was the most recent proposed change and was it accepted? What is the impact of proposed inclusion of the citizenship question? The most recent change that was accepted is that the term “negro” will be removed from the census. We noticed over time that different races have been added and dropped. Some groups got really specific while others didn’t and we think its related to social changes in the US. If the citizenship question is asked it’ll make it easier for ICE to find people and take them which is bad, but if it’s not asked it might make it hard for pesked then areas that need funding won’t be able to get it.
- What is your official place of residence as far as the US Census is concerned?
St Charles, IL
Georgetown, TX
- How are incarcerated persons counted? What are some of the consequences of this?
(Here are some resources that might be useful:
In case you were wondering about Prisons and Apportionment
Census Bureau’s Counting of Prisoners Benefits Some Rural Voting Districts)
Their address is counted at the correctional facility not their home address. This is good for rural cities where the prisons are typically located, because it shows that there is a larger population which can help them get more funding as a city. It’s also good because it means that the state gets more representation, and it creates redistricting for local government.
- What does apportionment refer to in the context of the US legislature system and why do we need it? * *Refer to Article 2 Section 1 of the US Constitution
we need it for the sake that no one gets too much power and that everything goes through multiple people before getting approval. It’s checks and balances for the legislature system, and it’s part of how we keep our representational democracy alive. - How has the definition of representative populations for the purposes of apportionment changed over time?
It’s changed with who’s being counted and who’s not in what areas. So it originally was very racist and only counted African Americans as 3/5ths of people because there were so many and they outnumbered white people giving them an advantage. Obviously this isn’t a thing anymore, and everyone is counted the same. Apportionment is done based on population, so everyone is counted the same which is different than when Africans were counted as 3/5ths of one person. So who is being counted is really important.
- How do the two Houses of Congress reflect different notions of fair representation?
One is equal among states which provides equality among every state, and the house of reps provides equity among each state because it is based off of population. So each state is fairly represented in both houses.
- How is apportionment connected to the Electoral college and the election of the President?
The census helps determine how many reps will be apportioned to a certain state. When the state learns how many reps they have they redistrict or gerrymander where the lines will be. People then vote on who the reps will be, and the reps vote for the president in the electoral college.
- When was the most most recent change to the size of congress and what was the reason?
I think it was in 1959-1962 the house was increased to 437 to include hawaii and alaska who were admitted into the union.
10. What is the average size, in terms of population, of a congressional district in 2016? How did it compare to the average size in 1792 after the first apportioning?
The average size in 1792 was about 30,000 people in a district and now it averages to about 720,000 per representatives in the state.
- What is the relationship between apportionment and redistricting?
When the house of reps is reapportioned, some states gain or lose reps depending on population so states have to redistrict to meet the number of reps they will have. So If a state gains a seat they have to redistrict so that the new seat has a district.
Review of simple rounding and Hamilton’s method.
A country has 4 states and a 12-seat House of Representatives. The states’ populations are given below:
| State | Population | Quota | Seats Apportioned |
| A | 12,000 | ||
| B | 16,000 | ||
| C | 15,500 | ||
| D | 16,500 | ||
| Total | 60,000 |
Each member of the house should represent _5000______ people (this is your Standard Divisor). Using this number fill in each state’s quota in the above table. Use simple rounding to apportion seats. What problem do you encounter?
Use Hamilton’s method as a solution to the above problem.
| State | Population | Quota | Seats Apportioned |
| A | 12,000 | 2.4 | 2+1 extra=3 |
| B | 16,000 | 3.2 | 3 |
| C | 15,500 | 3.1 | 3 |
| D | 16,500 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Total | 60,000 | 12 | 12 |
