The Supreme Court Could Give The GOP Another 8 Seats In Congress

[Cryptoad]

This week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a lawsuit filed by conservative activists in Texas that could redefine the principle of “one person, one vote” as we know it. And if the Court sides with the plaintiffs, Republicans could stretch their already-historic majorities in the House and state legislatures even wider — the GOP would be helped just slightly in presidential elections.

Is Congress’s job to represent people, or just voters? Currently, all states are required to redraw their political boundaries based on the Census’s official count of total population every 10 years, which includes minors and noncitizen immigrants. But the Texas plaintiffs argue that states should be allowed to apportion seats based on where only U.S. citizens over 18 years of age live.

It seems like a minor detail, but it’s actually a major distinction. The decennial Census doesn’t track citizenship data, but the Census’s American Community Survey does. And although all 435 U.S. congressional districts have roughly equal total populations, the number of eligible voters and rates of actual participation can vary wildly from place to place.

For example, in Florida’s 11th District, home to the largely white retirement mecca of The Villages, 81 percent of all residents are adult citizens. But in California’s heavily Latino 34th District, anchored by downtown Los Angeles, only 41 percent of all residents are eligible to vote. The variations across districts in terms of actual turnout can be even more eye-popping. According to results compiled by Polidata for the Cook Political Report, Montana’s lone House district cast 483,932 votes for president in 2012, more than four times the tally in Texas’s 29th District, 114,901.

snip,,,,

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-supreme-court-could-give-the-gop-another-8-seats-in-congress/

[UTUSN]

1. So representation would be only for voting AGE. Most don't vote for starters.

Last edited Fri May 29, 2015, 03:52 PM - Edit history (1)

So taking wingnut logic to logical conclusion, laws couldn't be decreed over anybody not of voting age. Sounds "Right." What about "no (legislation) without representation"?!1

They just don’t believe in democracy. Like STALIN, what matters is who counts the votes, or restricting how voting operates. After nearing the extent of their voter ID initiatives, here they are restricting representation. This ought to mean that laws could not be passed if the bills are about non-voting-age people (minors, undocumented, mentally impaired, felons). Remember “No taxation without representation”? Change one word to: No legislation without representation.

They can’t deal with the looming reality that they CAN’T WIN just on the merits of their ideology. Perhaps Poppy BUSH’s role in 1980’s October Surprise might not have changed the outcome, but tinkering to exaggerate an edge here, stacking Supreme Court there, restricting who votes, now defining representation, adds up to Coup-2000 EVERY election, like Christmas/Festivus every day.

[zipplewrath]

3. Never been this way, ever.

The "original intent" strict constitutionalists are in a bind on this one. It's NEVER been this way. Heck, the whole point of the "3/5ths" rule was to water down the population of the states by under counting the slave population. And they couldn't vote. The only argument is that the 14th changed all that. But again, where are they going to find ANY support that such an intent existed when the 14th was passed? In 150 years or so, it has NEVER been this way.

[UTUSN]

4. Yip, but SCALIA changed how the 2nd Amendment is interpreted, so they can do whatever?!1 n/t

[Romeo.lima333]

2. norman goldman went through the legal aspect of this on his show

http://www.normangoldman.com/ i believe this 1st hour of his show is given away free

[MohRokTah]

5. If they go by literal interpretation, it's every person living in a state.

Nothing in there abut every citizen.

[Cryptoad]

7. The GOP is dying out day by day,,,,

GOP are squirming to find anything that will increase their ratio!

[Exilednight]

6. We need constitutional amendment that addresses a fair way

To redistrict. It needs to be uniformal throughout the country.