I need to correct a couple of things in that last post. The simple method given in the Constitution of one representative for every 30,000 citizens has been changed. In 1910, the number of Representatives was frozen at 435. This freezing was omitted from the US Code and replaced with a "Reapportionment of Representatives." Basically, every ten years, they shift around how many reps each state gets. 2 USC 2(a) provides the "method of equal proportions" for redistricting. That thing assigns a priority to each state in getting a representative. After assigning one rep to each state, they go in order of state priority to give additional members. From the census: "Priority value is determined by dividing a state's population by the geometric mean of its current and next House seats." I still can't find any provision for adding members to the total number of representatives. Regardless, the four million under-count, significantly effects the number of representatives/electoral votes for the heavily urban communities.
- posted by levinson @ 12/04/2000 12:48:00 PM