The election coming this November is a reapportionment election and therefore important. The census is taken every ten years and it is taken in years that end in “0”. After the census, the 435 seats in congress are redistributed to the 50 States and will be allocated to each State based on population shifts. States like New York have lost population and will probably get less Congressional Seats allocated to them. Those Congressional Seats will go to states like Texas which had population growth.
The Gerry Mander
During the last ten years there was also a shifting of population within the States and each State will reshape the Congressional districts that have been allocated to them. The decision making in 48 of the states is a political one and is controlled by State Legislatures and Governors. Iowa and Arizona have non-partisan committees which control the process. This process can be very political within each of the other 48 States.
This election also has 37 Governorships up for grabs along with large numbers of State Legislatures that could change party control.
According to Dick Morris, the Democrats are setting themselves up for an electoral mess that could last 10 years. Political partisanship has increased to an even greater level than what occurred under the Bush Administration and many Republicans are thinking that gerrymandering districts in their favor would be sweet revenge.
Another article about reapportionment from a Republican perspective is; The Coming Battle of Reapportionment and Redistricting- by Bruce Walker.
I couldn’t find any articles on this subject from a Democratic perspective.
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