Why Do Some States Have More Representatives Than Others? Civics Question 35

Because of the state’s population. States with more people get more representatives.

Question 35 asks why some states have more representatives than other states. Accepted answers are “(because of) the state’s population” and “they have more people.” Either wording is enough. The Senate works the opposite way, with two seats for every state whatever its size.

How the Seats Get Handed Out

The House has 435 voting seats, and that total does not grow. The seats are shared out among the states by population, so a state with ten times the people gets roughly ten times the seats.

Every state gets at least one seat, no matter how few people live there. After that, the rest are divided by the count.

The Census Moves the Seats

The Constitution orders a count of everyone living in the country every ten years. That count is the census.

When the numbers come in, the seats are shared out again. States that grew take seats from states that shrank. Because the total stays at 435, every seat one state gains is a seat another state loses.

A state can gain or lose a seat without a single voter changing their mind about anything. People moving is enough.

Why the Officer Asks This

This is the other half of question 28, which asks why every state has two senators. The answer there is equal representation. The answer here is population.

Together they explain why Congress has two houses. One counts states and treats them the same. The other counts people and does not.

How to Remember It

Four words: more people, more seats. The accepted answer is barely longer than that.

For a picture, hold two states side by side. California has tens of millions of people and dozens of House seats. Wyoming has fewer people than many single cities and gets one seat. Both still get two senators.

What to Say on Test Day

Say “because of the state’s population,” or say “they have more people.” Both are marked correct.

Leave out the census, the number 435, and the Great Compromise. The officer is listening for one word, population, and you have already said it.