Census Evaluation U S Census Bureau Census Form

Instructions and help about Census Evaluation U S Census Bureau Census

[mechanical sounds] [Narrator] We the People of the United States... The mandate for the census is right here, just a few sentences into the Constitution Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states ing to their respective numbers. Apportionment- the dividing of seats in the House of Representatives among the 50 states. But how does it actually work? Since the 1940 Census, Congress has used "The Method of Equal Proportions," which follows this formula: A sub n equals P over the square root of... (boing noise) Ok, Ok. Don't worry about the math. Just think of the formula as an apportioning machine. First, the Constitution calls for each of the 50 states to have at least one seat. So, subtract 50 from the current House total of 435 and you have 385 seats left. Next, the apportionment machine ranks the states by population ing to the Census. Then, the machine starts giving out seats. After each seat is distributed, the machine re-ranks the remaining states based on the fo