07-17-2001 La Porte Redistricting Committee Regular Meeting

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What is apportionment? Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. ® Who is included in the apportionment population counts? The apportionment calculation is based on the total resident population (citizen and noncitizen) of the 50 states. In Census 2000, the apportionment population also includes U.S. Armed Forces personnel and federal civilian employees stationed outside the United States (and their dependents living with them) that can be allocated, based on administrative records, back to a home state. This is the same procedure used in 1990. ®Who is excluded in the apportionment population counts? The populations of the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Island Areas are excluded from the apportionment population because they do not have voting seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. What is the mandate for conducting the. apportionment? Article I, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states be carried out each 10-year period. ® When are the apportionment population counts delivered? To the President. Title 1 3, U.S. Code, requires that the apportionment population counts for each state be delivered to the President within nine months of the census date. In Census 2000, Census Day was April 1 , meaning that the Office of the President must receive the counts by December 31 . To the Congress. According to Title 2, U.S. Code, within one week of the opening of the next session of Congress in the new year, the President must report to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives the apportionment population counts for each state and the number of representatives to which each state is entitled. To the States. According to Title 2, U.S. Code, within 1 5 days of receiving the apportionment population counts from the President, the Clerk of the House of Representatives must inform each state governor of the number of representatives to which that state is entitled. How is the apportionment calculated? Congress decides the method used to calculate the apportionment. The apportionment for Census 2000 will be calculated using the method of equal proportions, in accordance with the provisions of Title 2, U.S. Code. This method has been used in every census since 1940. First, each state is assigned one seat. Then, the remaining 385 seats are distributed using a formula that computes "priority values" based on each state's apportionment population. For more information, visit <www.census.gov>. ® Are children under 18 years old included in the apportionment population counts since they cannot vote? Yes. Being registered to vote or voting is not a requirement to be included in the apportionment counts.