More Hoosiers, Less Representation.

• Author: Morand, Joan
• Position: Statistical Data Included

The Census Bureau's December release of the first state numbers from Census 2000 generated much interest in the population counts for states, as well as in the resulting reapportionment of the seats in the next U.S. House of Representatives. The release also raised questions: how does the apportionment process work? How can it result in districts of such widely varying sizes among the states?

By examining some of the details involved in the method of equal proportions, one can gain a better understanding of the apportionment process, how it works and how district size varies by state. In particular, the focus here is on Indiana and its widely publicized loss of a seat in the next House.

A Brief Overview

Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states. After each decennial census, population counts for states are used to calculate the number of House seats each state is entitled to for the next decade.

The Results

The size of Indiana's delegation will drop from 10 to 9 in the 108th Congress, which begins in 2003. A total of twelve seats will change hands, with 10 states losing seats and 8 states gaining seats. Figure 1 shows the seat changes resulting from the reapportionment.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Not surprisingly, states that have grown more slowly than the nation are among those losing seats: Pennsylvania and New York will each drop two seats; Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin will each lose one seat. The Great Lakes region will lose a total of nine House seats. Rapidly growing states in the south and west will gain seats. Arizona, Florida, Georgia and Texas will each pick up two seats, while California, Colorado, Nevada and North Carolina will each gain one seat.

The Method

Each state receives one seat in the House. The remaining 385 seats are distributed to the states based on the method of equal proportions, used after every census since 1940.

The method of equal proportions assigns seats according to priority values. The priority values are determined by multiplying the population of each state by a series of seat factors. The factor for seat n equals 1 divided by (the square root of (n times (n-1)). The resulting priority values are sorted in descending order, and the highest 385 priority values are assigned to seats 51 through 435.

For example the priority value for Indiana's 2nd seat following Census 2000 is:

6,090,782 * (1/SQRT(2*1))=6,090,782 * 0.7071067= 4,306,833

Table 1 shows the assignment of Indiana's 2nd seat in the House, in seat number 80, the 30th seat assigned by the method (after each state receives one seat). Notice that California has received 8 seats before Indiana receives its 2nd seat.

Table 1 Assignment of Seats 51 Through 80 in the U.S. House of Representatives State State's Seat Priority Value House Seat California 2 23,992,697 51 Texas 2 14,781,356 52 California 3 13,852,190 53 New York 2 13,438,545 54 Florida 2 11,334,137 55 California 4 9,794,978 56 Illinois 2 8,795,731 57 Pennsylvania 2 8,697,887 58...