Apportionment
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redistricting procedures |
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2020 |
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Apportionment refers to the process by which representation in a legislature is distributed among its constituents. Due to the number of seats in the United States House of Representatives being fixed at 435 by law following the passage of the Reapportionment Act of 1929, it is necessary to redistribute the seats between the states as populations within the states change. Following a census, which occurs once per decade, seats in the House are reapportioned based on the population of the states. States whose populations have increased may gain seats; states whose populations have decreased may lose seats. Some states and other government bodies like city councils have similar rules fixing the number of seats available in the legislature, and so also have reapportionment processes to distribute those seats as populations change.[1][2][3]
Apportionment is related to but distinct from redistricting. Apportionment refers to the decision of how many seats are given to an area, while redistricting refers to the process by which the districts that will elect representation for those seats are created.
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