POLS 207 Exam 3 Questions with Correct Answers Latest Update

POLS 207 Exam 3 Questions with Correct Answers Latest Update Major Jobs of State Legislatures - Answers Lawmaking Institution: enactment of statutory laws, constitutional amendments and appointments, budgetary power, oversight authority Representative Institutions: represent interest of constituents, bring $$$ to district, constituent services Types of political representation that a state representative provides? - Answers 1. Descriptive: mirroring politically relevant characteristics 2. Substantive: Representing interests of groups, rep doesn't have to belong to the group Describe each of the roles that a state representative might fill when making decisions as a member of the legislature - Answers 1. Delegate: mirror preferences of constituents 2. Trustee: use own judgement to make policy choices 3. Politico: balance both roles What is incumbency? - Answers Incumbency: holding an office, and the incumbent usually is someone re-elected for the office they already hold What are some of the advantages of incumbency? - Answers -Run when they are expected to win and retire when they are expected to lose -Persons currently serving in elected or appointed positions in government -More recognition because of previous work -Easier access to political resources What is meant by "legislative institutionalization"? - Answers Development of rules, patterns of behavior, and organizational structures How might the legislative process in a state become more institutionalized? - Answers 1. Stability of membership: lower turnover rate, more veteran legislators (Institutional Memory) 2. Increase in staff, salaries, extended internal operations: more veteran staff 3. Increased complexity of rules and procedures What kinds of features distinguish professionalized state legislatures form those that are less professionalized? - Answers 1. Lay (Citizen): volunteers, shorter sessions, serve 1-2 terms 2. Professional: full-time, longer sessions, can serve many terms, more staff, legislative, and constituent services, higher re-election rate How professionalized is the Texas state legislature? - Answers Hybrid Which institutions have traditionally drawn the lines for legislative districts for both state legislatures and for the US House of Representatives? - Answers Traditionally done by state legislatures. They draw BOTH state legislative districts and US congressional districts Which institutions draws up state and congressional districts in TX? - Answers Redistricting is primarily done by state legislature; has a commission as a backup What have some states adopted as a less partisan alternative? - Answers Redistricting Commissions are a way some states have used to try to avoid gerrymandering. Seen more in states with a popular initiative What are legislative apportionment? - Answers -Federal census (every 10 years): basis for adjustment of population0based electoral districts -Congressional Districts: must be with in 2% of the size of the "ideal district" -State-level Districts: looser standards (no absolute #s), deviations respecting political subdivisions usually upheld Malappotionment? - Answers -Common before 1960s -Rural domination of state legislatures and US House -Increased urbanization of US population -Redistricting seen as a political question -Changes with Baker v. Carr: established principle of "one person, one vote" What legal principle guides legislative apportionment? - Answers "one person, one vote" : each district has a similar number of people in it so as to prevent a small portion of the population from controlling who gets elected to the house and senate seats What is redistricting? What principles and/or criteria are supposed to guide this process? - Answers 1. Equality of population: one person, one vote 2. Contiguity: all portions of districts must touch 3. Protected groups: Voting Rights Act is the protection for minority representation, can't dilute minority votes 4. District Shape Traditional Redistricting Principles for STATE-LEVEL Districts - Answers 1. Compactness 2. Contiguity 3. Maintaining "communities of interest": common political, social, or economic interest 4. Respect for political boundaries: minimize splitting of counties, towns, precincts Gerrymandering - Answers manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class. What are some of the ways in which gerrymandering can be accomplished? - Answers -Partisan gerrymandering: party draws districts in favor -Racial gerrymandering: "negative" "affirmative" -Done via packing and cracking/splintering How has redistricting in the states been affected by recent legal decisions regarding a.) how frequently legislative redistricting can occur b.) the ease of claiming that a partisan gerrymander is unfair and c.) Voting Rights Act protect against discriminatory gerrymandering? - Answers -4 Formal Legal Rules -Legal Arguments-burden of proof on state officials 1. Redistricting only ONCE following census 2. Invalidation via "excessive partisanship" -Voting Rights Act: preclearance for covered states/localities -Recent Shelby v. Holder (TX) 2013 - Texas is no longer a covered state under VRA 1What kinds of consequences has gerrymandering had for the competitiveness of legislative elections? - Answers -fewer competitive seats -unopposed incumbents for legislative contest: less than 2/3s of TX legislative districts are competitive Institutional Memory - Answers Observations and insights of previous legislatures about how issues were handled in the past Standing Committee - Answers Division of labor, divide into subject areas