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TAMU POLS 207 - Redistricting, State Legislatures, and Governors
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Lecture 12Outline of Last Lecture I. Characteristics of State Legislators a. Occupation, Education, Ethnicity, Gender, Wealth and Social Status II. The Incumbency Advantage a. Visibility, Money, Structure III. Professional vs. Less Professional Legislators a. Professional Legislators >> full time job, low turnover, higher salaries, provide more servicesIV. The Lawmaking Process Charta. House or Senate Introduction & Referral of a bill b. Committee Actionc. Floor Actiond. Conference Committee e. Governor actsV. Legislative Districts (Single-member, malapportionment) VI. Drawing of District LinesVII. Homework Reading:a. Chapter 5 Parties and Campaigns in the State: Section State Party Organizations and Activistsb. Chapter 6 Legislature: Section Leadership and Role Playing in the States Outline of Current Lecture: I. Strategy of Redistricting for the Majority Party II. Another Look at Dividing a Circle District (Splintering/Cracking, Packing)III. Role of Court ReviewIV. Redistricting in TexasV. Characteristics, Facts, and Details about the Texas State Legislature VI. Ranking State Legislature (Functionality, Accountability, Informed, Independence, Representativeness)VII. Why is Nebraska a unicameral legislature?VIII. Governors: Qualifications and SalaryCurrent LectureRedistricting, State Legislatures, and Governors Strategy of Redistricting for the Majority Party - majority party in the state legislature will try to draw districts lines that advantage their party - not all states have gerrymandering districts (districts that advantage one party over the other)- some states have divided governmento state legislature dominated by one partyo executive branch dominated by another party o if you have divided gov, when the state legislature draws districts lines, executive branch has to sign it so lines are more balanced between parties - 26 states with unified government - 24 of which significantly advantaged one party in districts POLS 207 2nd Edition- gerrymandering = to advantage the majority party through creative district line drawing o comes from Governor Gerry from MassachusettsAnother Look = Dividing a Circle District- Splintering/Cracking = splintering minority party o dividing support for minority into as many districts as possible- Packing = divide so that minority party wastes voteso majority sacrifices one district to have majority in other districtsThe Role of Court Review- the court reviews the districting plan to see if it purposely disadvantages a minority groupo if so, then it is ruled unconstitutional - How do courts know when true partisan gerrymandering has occurred?o mostly look at the oddity of the shape Redistricting in Texas- A common goal has been the creation of “majority-minority” districts - “majority-minority” district = a district in which the majority of the district is a minority, 50% plus is African American, Hispanic, a combination, etc. - benefits – minority groups support this because these districts are more likely to elect minorities to the state legislature - minorities are more likely to support Democrats - but, Republicans will be more likely to support “majority-minority” districtso think of the packing strategy – packing minorities into a district in order to create stronger Republican districts in surrounding areas - Do “majority-minority” districts strengthen or diminish minority power?o Diminishes voting influence but… o Strengthens ability of some minorities to be elected to state legislature - Courts will strike down any redistricting that directly manipulates race - Legislative Redistricting Board = LRB o made up of several state officials, responsible for redistricting o redraws district lines if and only if the state legislature fails to do!! o created in 1948 in case legislature fails to come up with a redistricting plan Characteristics of Texas State Legislators - pretty similar to the characteristics of the country as a whole will occur in Texas as well- occupation, education, women underrep, minority representation is slowing going up, income, etc. Facts and Assorted Details about the Texas Legislature - Legislature Seatso 150 House districts; 31 Senate districts o they are single-member districts = about 40 states elect their legislatures in this wayo so House has 150 members in House and 31 state Senate! o 150 house members serve 2 year terms, 31 Senate members serve 4 year terms o generally noncompetitive – about 2/3rds to 3/4ths are noncompetitive, which is due to redistricting to create safe seats for majority party, packing minority party o Texas has a median turnover (sometimes relative high turnover, sometimes low turnover)o has become more professionalized over 20 years, which makes it more attractive to serve in state legislature and has helped keep members, member turnover is due primarily to members leaving voluntarily- Biennial Sessionso length – meets every other year for 140 days o special sessions – can ONLY be called by the governor!  the governor also sets the agenda for the special session- Payo about $7200o benefits - earn $124 a day while in session  150 x 140 days = 17,500 + 7200 = 24,700o total about $25,000Who has power in the Texas Legislature?1. Speaker of the Housea. legislative calendarb. makeup of committees (reward supporters, put the best people on a committee)c. refer bills to committees 2. Lieutenant Governor a. important in state legislature even though member of executive branch b. presiding officer of state Senate (VP is presiding office of national Senate)i. unlike VP, Lieutenant Governor actually does run the Senate Ranking the State Legislature - 5 Criteria used by the Citizens Conference on State Legislatureso 1. Functionality how well does the legislature function, adequate times, how long verse what needs to be done, how effectively time is used, what is the cooperation between the two house, how is continuity from session to session  Texas ranked 45th (biennial sessions make it harder, only 140 days)o 2. Accountability how accountable is the legislature to the general public, the visibility of the legislature, how much do we know about their votes, public openness, record of votes, what is the media coverage, lobbying regulation Texas ranks 36th o 3. Informed  adequate time to study proposals, how can you be informed if you don’t have enough time to study bills, short legislative sessions


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TAMU POLS 207 - Redistricting, State Legislatures, and Governors

Type: Lecture Note
Pages: 5
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