Responsiveness, Voting Rights and Continuity in Congressional Representation
By Jack Santucci
Published February 21st 2006
Flooding due to Hurricane Katrina caused property damage and mass population migration. The result is a potential crisis of Congressional representation with four dimensions: districts of unequal population, overload of constituent demands, Voting Rights Act liability and break in continuity of representation. This paper uses news reports from autumn 2005 to develop high and low population estimates for affected Congressional districts in southern Louisiana. Mid-decade census and redistricting are cumbersome processes not likely before the end of the decade. The paper recommends limited voting in one five-member district in their stead.
