# Better ways to reapportion Congress **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 10, 2020, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741 "2020-08-10T20:42:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/21 "2020-08-11T20:07:18Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > States with more voter suppression would get less. Low turnout does not equal voter suppression. Never under estimate voter apathy, candidate charisma, weather, ,pandemic, lack of local races, lack of hot button issues, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/22 "2020-08-11T20:16:56Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > How many members would the House of Representatives have if the constitutional had not been amended to have the House have the current numper of reps? Post 11, if I’m understanding the question correctly: /[Better ways to reapportion Congress - #11 by Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/11) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/23 "2020-08-12T14:44:02Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Criteria 1,3 and 4 appear to be objectively measured criteria. > > Criteria 2 appears to be a subjectively measured criteria…which would be fraught with litigation, judiciary involvement in the political process. No thanks. I listed some _effects_ of apportioning in the way I proposed, not the criteria necessary to implement it. > [@Oakminster](#): > > Low turnout does not equal voter suppression. I know, that’s why I listed it as a separate effect. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/24 "2020-08-12T16:46:03Z")
I think apportionment should have nothing to do with states. Lines should ignore state boundaries and simply create equal-population districts based on rational geographical-economic regions. In very densely populated areas, there should be at-large candidates chosen by proportional representation. And the geographic representation should be supplemented by extra seats for proportional representation (as in New Zealand) ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/25 "2020-08-14T23:40:46Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > And the geographic representation should be supplemented by extra seats for proportional representation (as in New Zealand) Explain, please. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/26 "2020-08-14T23:51:04Z")
To put it simply, if a party’s geographic district results leave it with disproportionately lower representation than indicated by the overall party vote, it is awarded extra non-geographic seats from its party list. That eliminates gerrymandering as a way to screw a party out of its proportional popularity. But also preserves the idea of representation for geographic units. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/27 "2020-08-15T00:52:42Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Apportionment would be by the total number of voters in the previous three presidential elections. People who actually voted or eligible voters? If it is people who actually voted then you skew heavily in favor of the elderly since young people are historically low in voter turnout. If it is eligible voters then you are where we are now. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741/28 "2020-08-15T12:42:27Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If it is eligible voters then you are where we are now. Not quite. Eligible voters doesn’t include the under-18 population and in many states doesn’t include the prison population, ex-felon population. The Census does. Lots of small towns love a prison; it brings in jobs and outside tax dollars and makes their resident’s voters have 10x or 20x the voting power of nearby districts without a prison. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/better-ways-to-reapportion-congress/917741.md?page=1)