reapportionment

the census poops on it

Reapportionment occurs every 10 years, following the constitutionally-mandated US census. The last census was in 2000. Reapportionment is done on a state-by-state basis; most states redrew their maps in 2001, while Georgia and Texas (famously) redrew their maps twice, in 2001 and again in 2003 after control of the legislature had switched from the Democrats to the Republicans. The next reapportionment will be after the 2010 census; for most states this means in 2011.

The census plays a critical role in determining reapportionment by providing data on the population of each state. This data is used to allocate the number of seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives, based on their population size. Reapportionment occurs every 10 years following the census to ensure that each state has fair representation in Congress.