CONGRESS AND THE PEOPLE| 263constantly trying to shore up their electoral base, but even incumbents in “safe”
districts realize that their job security is not guaranteed.
Mayhew outlines three ways that members of Congress promote their
chances for re-election: through advertising, credit claiming, and posi-
tion taking. Each approach shapes the way members relate to their
constituents. Advertising in this context refers to appeals or appear-
ances without issue content that get the member’s name before the
public in a favorable way. Advertising includes “working the
district,” such as by attending town meetings, appearing in a
parade, or sending letters of congratulation for graduations,
bir t hdays, or a nniversa ries. Members of Cong ress a lso spend a
fair amount of time meeting with constituents in Washington.
The second activity, credit claiming, involves the member
of Congress taking credit for something of value to the voter—
most commonly, pork-barrel policies targeted to specifi c con-
stituents or the district. Another source of credit claiming is casework for individ-
ual constituents who request help with tasks such as tracking down a lost Social
Security check or expediting the processing of a passport. This activity, like adver-
tising, has both district-based and Washington-based components.
Position taking refers to any public statement—such as a roll call vote, speech,
editorial, or position paper—about a topic of interest to constituents or interest
groups. This may be the toughest aspect of a member’s job, because on many issues
the member is likely to alienate a certain segment of the population no matter
what position she takes. Members try to appeal to specifi c audiences within their
district. For example, while speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a mem-
ber might emphasize his support for a particular new weapons program, but in
a meeting with college students, he might highlight his opposition to the war in
Afghanistan.
The focus on re-election has some costs, two of which refl ect widespread pub-
lic opinion. First, the perception that Congress has granted itself too many spe-
cial privileges aimed at securing re-election (such as funding for large staff s and
the privilege of sending mail at no cost) leads to harsh criticism. Second, there is
concern that members’ time spent actively campaigning takes time away from the
responsibilities of enacting laws and overseeing their implementation. Another
cost is the possibility of passing contradictory policies in an eff ort to satisfy
diverse interest groups.Redistricting
To understand legislative constituencies, we must consider their physical bound-
aries. District boundaries determine who is eligible to vote in any given congres-
sional race, and these boundaries are redrawn every 10 years, after each national
census. Redistricting is the task of state legislatures. Its offi cial purpose is to
ensure that districts are roughly equal in population, which in turn ensures that
every vote counts equally in determining the composition of the legislature.
District populations vary over time as people move from state to state or from
one part of a state to another. At the national level, states gain or lose legislative
seats after each census through a process called apportionment as the fi xed
number of House seats (435) is divided among the states. (States growing the
redistricting Redrawing the
geographic boundaries of legisla-
tive districts. This happens every
ten years to ensure that districts
remain roughly equal in population.
apportionment The process of
assigning the 435 seats in the House
to the states based on increases or
decreases in state population.SOME DEMOCRATS WHO WERE
successful in the 2010 elections
had to distance themselves from
the national party. One example
is Joe Manchin, who won a Senate
seat by emphasizing that he
would fi ght for the people of West
Virginia, even when it meant going
against his party.