Isabella Carter
The Reapportionment Act of 1929, also known as the Permanent Apportionment Act, established a permanent method for apportioning a constant 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives according to each census. The U.S. Constitution requires that seats in the House be reapportioned among the states according to the population disclosed by the most recent decennial census, with at least one Representative per state and no more than one for every 30,000 persons. This means that the size of a state's House delegation is dependent on its population and can change after each federal census.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How often does the Constitution require reappointment for the House? | Every second year |
| How often must the census results be delivered to the President? | Every 10 years |
| How often must the President report the census results to Congress? | Within a week of the opening of the next Congress |
| How often must the Clerk disclose to the governor of each state the number of seats? | Within 15 days of receiving the census results from the President |
| How often do apportionments take effect? | Two Congresses (three years) after the last census |
| How many Representatives were there in 1842? | 242 |
| How many Representatives were there after the House was reduced in 1842? | 223 |
| How many Representatives were there in 1872? | 292 |
| How many Representatives are there currently? | 435 |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution requires at least one representative per state
- No more than one representative per 30,000 people
- The Reapportionment Act of 1929 established a permanent method for apportionment
- House seats are reallocated to states with shifts in population
- Representatives are chosen every second year by the people of the states
The US Constitution requires at least one representative per state
The US Constitution also states that no more than one representative should be assigned for every 30,000 people. As such, the size of a state's House delegation depends on its population. The number of representatives in the House of Representatives has been enlarged by Congress following each subsequent census, except in 1842 when the House was reduced from 242 to 223 members.
The Fourteenth Amendment, drafted to address the unique problem of the abolition of slavery, also impacted representation in the House. The Amendment dramatically increased the apportionment population of the Southern states because the black population was now fully counted instead of being reduced to three-fifths of its numbers. This resulted in a significant increase in seats to maintain the same number of seats in the northern states, with the House being enlarged by 50 seats (21%) in the 1870 census.
The process of reapportionment is carried out by the US Census Bureau, which must deliver the results of a decennial census to the President of the United States within nine months of the census date. The President then has one week to report the census results to Congress, and within 15 days, the Clerk must disclose to the governor of each state the number of seats their state is entitled to. The state legislatures are responsible for redrawing congressional districts, and apportionments take effect two Congresses (three years) after the last census.
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No more than one representative per 30,000 people
The US Constitution has a requirement for at least one representative per state, with no more than one representative for every 30,000 people. This was established in the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, which fixed the number of representatives at 435.
The Act was passed following a battle between rural and urban factions, which caused the House to fail to reapportion itself following the 1920 Census. The Act capped House membership at the level established after the 1910 Census, and created a procedure for automatically reapportioning House seats after every decennial census.
The Fourteenth Amendment, passed in the 1860s, dramatically increased the apportionment population of the Southern states because the black population was now fully counted. This resulted in a major increase in seats to maintain the same number of seats in the northern states, with the House enlarged by 50 seats (21%) in respect of the 1870 census.
The US Constitution requires that seats in the House of Representatives be apportioned among the states according to the population disclosed by the most recent decennial census. The number of representatives per state is therefore dependent on the state's population. The US Census Bureau must deliver the results of the decennial census to the President, who then reports the results to Congress. The Clerk of the House then discloses to each state governor how many seats their state is entitled to, and the state legislatures redraw their congressional districts.
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The Reapportionment Act of 1929 established a permanent method for apportionment
The Reapportionment Act of 1929, also known as the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, was signed into law on June 18, 1929. It established a permanent method for apportioning a constant 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives according to each census. This number had been previously established by the Apportionment Act of 1911.
The Reapportionment Act of 1929 was enacted following nearly a decade of debate and gridlock after the 1920 Census. The 1920 Census had caused a battle between rural and urban factions, resulting in the House failing to reapportion itself for the only time in its history. The 1929 Act took effect after the 1932 election, meaning that the House was never reapportioned as a result of the 1920 Census, and representation in the lower chamber remained frozen for twenty years.
The Act created a procedure for automatically reapportioning House seats after every decennial census. It established a system in which House seats would be reallocated to states that experienced shifts in population. This lack of recommendations concerning districts had several significant effects. The Act allowed states to draw districts of varying sizes and shapes and to abandon districts altogether, electing at least some representatives at-large. This practice was later ended by the Uniform Congressional District Act, which reinforced the single-member district requirement.
The Reapportionment Act of 1929 neither repealed nor restated the requirements of previous apportionment acts that congressional districts be contiguous, compact, and equally populated. It capped House membership at the level established after the 1910 Census, which had been calculated to ensure that no state lost a seat due to shifts in apportionment population.
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House seats are reallocated to states with shifts in population
The Reapportionment Act of 1929, also known as the Permanent Apportionment Act, established a permanent method for distributing 435 seats in the US House of Representatives according to each census. This act was passed in response to the failure of the House to reapportion itself following the 1920 Census, which resulted in a vast representational inequity by 1929, with some states having districts twice as large as others due to population growth and demographic shifts.
The 1929 Act took effect after the 1932 election, meaning that the House was never reapportioned based on the 1920 Census, and representation in the lower chamber remained frozen for twenty years. This act created a procedure for automatically reapportioning House seats after every decennial census, ensuring that each state is entitled to at least one representative, with the remaining seats allocated based on population size.
The US Constitution requires that seats in the House of Representatives be apportioned among the various states according to the population disclosed by the most recent decennial census. The number of representatives in each state is, in principle, proportional to its population. This process of reapportionment is critical to ensuring fair representation in Congress, as an undercount or overcount of a state's population could shift the balance of power for the next ten years.
The 2020 Census results, for example, indicated potential changes in congressional seat distribution, with southern and western states gaining seats at the expense of northeastern and midwestern states. This shift reflects the ongoing population changes in the US, with states like Texas and Florida gaining seats due to their growing populations.
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Representatives are chosen every second year by the people of the states
The US Constitution requires that representatives be chosen every second year by the people of the states. This is outlined in Article I, which states that the House of Representatives "shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states".
The number of representatives was fixed at 435 by the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, which established a permanent method for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives according to each census. This Act was preceded by decades of debate and gridlock following the 1920 Census, during which the House failed to reapportion itself for the only time in its history.
The US Constitution mandates that each state has at least one representative, with no more than one for every 30,000 people. The size of a state's delegation in the House of Representatives is therefore dependent on its population. The Reapportionment Act of 1929 allowed states to draw districts of varying sizes and shapes, and even to abandon districts altogether and elect representatives at-large.
The process of reapportionment occurs after each federal census. The US Census Bureau must deliver the results of the decennial census to the President within nine months, who then has one week to report the results to Congress. Within 15 days, the Clerk must disclose to the governor of each state the number of seats their state is entitled to. The state legislatures then redraw the congressional districts.
The current formula for reapportioning House seats was adopted in 1941, which established a procedure for automatically reapportioning seats after every decennial census.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution requires reapportionment for the House after every federal census, which takes place every 10 years.
The Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929 is a combined census and apportionment bill enacted on June 18, 1929, that establishes a permanent method for apportioning a constant 435 seats in the US House of Representatives according to each census.
The US Constitution requires that seats in the US House of Representatives be apportioned among the various states according to the population disclosed by the most recent decennial census. The size of a state's House delegation depends on its population.
The US Constitution states that members of the House of Representatives are chosen every second year by the people of the several states.
