Congressional district question

[MaC]

If there's a state with no net electoral change (it stays at one number before and after census), does it change it's congressional district boundaries to better fit the population?

[Nym90]

If there's a state with no net electoral change (it stays at one number before and after census), does it change it's congressional district boundaries to better fit the population?

Yes, generally so.

[MaC]

why didn't New Mexico and New Hampshire change between 2000 and 2004 then?

[Grad Students are the Worst]

why didn't New Mexico and New Hampshire change between 2000 and 2004 then?

I think it's state choice.  Maybe there is a percentage threshhold difference at which a change is triggered and neither state reached it.

[WMS]

why didn't New Mexico and New Hampshire change between 2000 and 2004 then?

I think it's state choice.  Maybe there is a percentage threshhold difference at which a change is triggered and neither state reached it.

Actually, NM did. It's just that it was such a minor change that it doesn't clearly show up on maps. A few precincts in Bernalillo County, a few precincts in Cibola County...that might have been it. There were attempts to change things more radically, but the Dem Legislature and Rep Governor (at the time) deadlocked and the NM Courts decided to change as little as possible.

The Almanac of American Politics seems to indicate that the same happened in NH...very little change.

[muon2]

why didn't New Mexico and New Hampshire change between 2000 and 2004 then?

I think it's state choice.  Maybe there is a percentage threshhold difference at which a change is triggered and neither state reached it.

Actually, NM did. It's just that it was such a minor change that it doesn't clearly show up on maps. A few precincts in Bernalillo County, a few precincts in Cibola County...that might have been it. There were attempts to change things more radically, but the Dem Legislature and Rep Governor (at the time) deadlocked and the NM Courts decided to change as little as possible.

The Almanac of American Politics seems to indicate that the same happened in NH...very little change.

All states were required to draw districts based on the 2000 census data such that districts of nearly equal population were achieved. Some states had little change.

In NH, the CD's in 2000 had populations of 625,527 and 610,259. The towns of Epsom and Pittsfield in eastern Merrimack Co were shifted from CD 1 to CD 2 resulting in new populations of 617,575 and 618,211. The deviation is about 0.05%.

[jimrtex]

If there's a state with no net electoral change (it stays at one number before and after census), does it change it's congressional district boundaries to better fit the population?

Since the Supreme Court equal population redistricting decisions of the 1960's, congressional districts are considered to be malapportioned after each census.  Most states are expected to reapportion by the '02 election.  I think Maine has a provision in its law that it is done for the '04 election.  I suspect that if there was a big difference between the 2 districts, this could be subject to a legal challenge.