EXAMPLE 17 Inequity in the 113th Congress?

The 2010 census reported the following apportionment populations: North Carolina, 9,565,781, and Rhode Island, 1,055,247. The states were apportioned 13 seats and 2 seats in Congress, respectively. Would it have been fairer to give North Carolina 14 of the 15 seats between them? We will calculate the district populations and representative shares for both apportionments and make a comparison.

With 13 seats to North Carolina, the district populations are for North Carolina and for Rhode Island. The representative share for the states are for North Carolina and for Rhode Island. With a smaller district population and a larger representative share, Rhode Island has the advantage with this apportionment. The bottom line: Rhode Island’s district populations are 208,195 smaller than North Carolina’s, and Rhode Island’s representative share is 0. 536 seats per million larger than North Carolina’s.

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Table 14.17 summarizes what we have calculated so far and compares the results with those that would be obtained if North Carolina had been apportioned 14 seats to Rhode Island’s 1. With the 14-1 apportionment, North Carolina would have the advantage. Its district size would have been 371,977 less than Rhode Island’s. This would be a greater discrepancy than exists with the 13-2 apportionment. On the other hand, North Carolina’s representative share would have been 0.516 seats per million greater than Rhode Island’s—a smaller discrepancy than exists with the 13-2 apportionment!