Overrepresented and underrepresented areas in Congress

[krazen1211]

What areas of the United States have enough population to form their own district, but are effectively cracked?

And what areas have disproportionate influence despite their small, and declining populations, due to legacy Congressman and careful redistricting?

Some examples:

Category A:

1. Beaumont/Port Arthur - ~600k people, cracked between 2 districts, and represented by 2 members of the Houston suburbs.

2. Reading PA metro area - Also about 500+k people, cracked between several districts.

3. Akron, Ohio metro area - 700k people, ditto


Category B:

1. St. Louis -  ~350k people, and 2 Congressional districts. Recently rectified.

2. Detroit - Ditto. 600k Detroit blacks get 2 Congressional districts.

[krazen1211]

over-rep: Baltimore + Suburbs--about 2 districts worth of population and 4 incumbents.

Under-Rep: Tarrant County Texas, with about 3 Districts worth of population and only 1 Representative.

I've heard conflicting info on that. Granger is from Ft. Worth. Not sure if Joe Barton is from Arlington or Johnson County. If its the latter, a new GOP Tarrant County district will be drawn this cycle.

[krazen1211]

I suspect the winner is the suburbs of Cook County.

Or should I say, the loser is the suburbs of Cook County?

Probably the loser. Lake is cracked, Will is cracked. Dupage will likely have its 1 rep though.

Cook/Chicago is overrepresented.

[krazen1211]

Okay, I decided to test this with the 201 US Census Numbers and 2008 election (via NYT website), and here are the Results, compared to the 2010 house district allotment:

And, for the Obama/McCain EVs, the result would have been + 10 Obama from the 2010 Numbers, or +4 form the 2000 Numbers.  Mostly a Shift from Texas and California back to the Midwest.

Interesting results.

Amongst larger states:

New York is pretty fairly allocated, since they don't connect NYC to other parts of the state more than once.

California has an extra seat I believe in the Bay Area for now.

Roanoke, VA I believe has 2 reps that reside in districts that stretch long distances north and west.

[krazen1211]

Middlesex/Mercer County deserves 2 Dem reps but has 1.

[krazen1211]

Middlesex/Mercer County deserves 2 Dem reps but has 1.

Middlesex in particular is underrepresented at the expense of Monmouth and Ocean.

And I think you mean Middlesex/Union. Mercer County of course has two representatives already (Holt and Smith), which makes it overrepresented.

Yes, that would be correct. Although I don't think Ocean has a rep, unless you could Runyan's likely vacation home.