Download Voting Patterns and Political Boundaries Effect on the Distribution of

Voting Patterns and Political Boundaries Effect on the Distribution of Political Power in the United States
Politics is the struggle for power. Political geography deals with the ways in which political processes and spatial
environments interact and affect one another. By looking at the United States’ population distribution and voting
patterns, we can determine where people live and how that affects their representation in government. Studying election
outcomes and census data often gives us insight into the distribution of political power in the U.S.
1. Why is it important to know the distribution of political power in the United States? How does this relate to the
type of government the United States has?
Election Outcomes
In U.S. presidential elections, when a state’s voters cast ballots for president every four years, they are really choosing
members of the Electoral College, a group of “electors” to cast their vote for their state. This number of electors from
each state is equal to its members in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The size of a state’s
population determines how many seats that state gets in the U.S. House. As a result, states with the largest populations
have the most seats. It follows, then, that they also have the most electoral votes. Therefore, changes in the population
of each state affect the distribution of political power.
2. Analyze the Electoral College vote distribution between 1920 and 2012. Based on the number of electoral votes
each state has, where has political power shifted over the past 100 years in the United States? Why?
Presidential Election of 1920
Presidential Election of 2012
3. Every ten years our country conducts a Census. The United States is a democracy or federal republic. Because
of the nature of a democracy, and based on the changes in the electoral maps shown, why would conducting a
Census protect the rights of citizens in the United States?
2010 U.S. Census Data
4. What do these graphics show about population trends in the U.S. from 1910 to 2010?
5. What economic, social and technological innovations most likely influenced the shift in population over the past
100 years?
Redistricting Seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
Turn to Chapter 1, Why Geography Matters (p. 12) in your textbook. Analyze the two images of the former and
proposed congressional districts in Ohio. Read the three sections: What is redistricting?, How are electoral districts
drawn?, and How does redistricting affect the distribution of political power? and answer the following questions.
6. How does gerrymandering provide an unfair advantage? What would a fair redistricting map look like?
7. What are some potential consequences when districts are drawn to favor one party over another? What
implications does this have for the distribution of political power in the U.S.?