Condorcet methods
29-674: The Baltimore County Delegation refers to the members of the Maryland House of Delegates who reside in or represent legislative districts that include parts of Baltimore County , Maryland in the United States of America . Three delegates are elected from each district, though some districts are divided into sub-districts. As of 2023, the current members of the Baltimore County Delegation are: Maryland House of Delegates Minority The Maryland House of Delegates
58-1136: A caucus-style group, such as the Baltimore City Delegation or the Western Maryland Delegation . Current leadership in the Maryland House of Delegates. Mark S. Chang ( D – Glen Burnie ), Vice Chair Brian M. Crosby ( D – Great Mills ), Vice Chair Regina T. Boyce ( D – Baltimore ), Vice Chair Bonnie Cullison ( D – Silver Spring ), Vice Chair J. Sandy Bartlett ( D – Laurel ), Vice Chair Marvin E. Holmes Jr. ( D – Upper Marlboro ), Vice Chair Jheanelle Wilkins ( D – Greenbelt ), Vice Chair Legislative District Maps, which are updated every ten years Reapportionment Positional voting Cardinal voting Quota-remainder methods Approval-based committees Fractional social choice Semi-proportional representation By ballot type Pathological response Strategic voting Paradoxes of majority rule Positive results Apportionment
87-722: A local issue exists, those parties or candidates distancing themselves from a broad swathe of electoral districts, such as marginal secessionists , or using a marginal minority language , may find themselves without representation. The vast majority of voters elect representatives of their philosophies. However, unlike district systems (or the hybrid models) no one elects a representative that represents them, or their specific region, and voters might reduce personal contact with their representatives. Apportionment methods for party-list proportional representation include: These apportionment methods can be categorized into largest remainder methods and highest averages methods . Malapportionment
116-432: A minority over equality of individuals. For example, in a federation , each member unit may have the same representation regardless of its population. The effect might not be just a vague empowerment of some voters but a systematic bias to the nation's government. Many instances worldwide arise in which large, sparsely populated rural regions are given equal representation to densely packed urban areas. As an example, in
145-401: A representative in the governing body. Moreover, most such systems impose a threshold that a party must reach (for example, some percentage of the total vote) to qualify to obtain representatives in the body which eliminates extreme parties, to make the governing body as orderly in non-proportionate systems. With the minimum votes threshold version, if a subtype of single-issue politics based on
174-406: A representative's votes (on proposed laws and measures etc.) according to the number of their constituents could make representation more exact, giving each representative exactly one vote avoids complexity in governance. Over time, populations migrate and change in number. Governing bodies, however, usually exist for a defined term of office. While parliamentary systems provide for dissolution of
203-464: A total of 141 members of the House. Some of the larger districts are divided into delegate sub-districts to provide local representation to areas not large enough to constitute an entire legislative district. In a special session on May 1, 2019, Delegate Adrienne Jones became the first woman and the first African American to be elected Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. The powers and functions of
232-548: Is called reactive malapportionment, which can come about in three ways. The first is the impact of abstentions, in which a lower turnout in a constituency means fewer votes are needed to win there. This can be seen in the UK through the Labour Party's strength in inner city areas where turnout is lowest. The second is the impact of minor parties, which works in a similar way; more votes going to smaller parties means fewer votes are needed for
261-515: Is not universal, for reasons including the following: A perfectly apportioned governing body would assist but does not ensure good representation; voters who did not vote for their district's winner might have no representative who is disposed to voice their opinion in the governing body. Conversely, a representative in the governing body may voice the opinions held by a voter who is not actually their constituent, though representatives usually seek to serve their own constituents first and will only voice
290-595: Is that elections should give each vote an equal weight . This is both intuitive and stated in laws such as the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (the Equal Protection Clause ). Fundamentally, the representation of a population in the thousands or millions by a reasonable size, thus accountable governing body involves arithmetic that will not be exact. Although weighing
319-450: Is the creation of electoral districts with divergent ratios of voters to representatives. For example, if one single-member district has 10,000 voters and another has 100,000 voters, voters in the former district have ten times the influence, per person, over the governing body. The malapportionment can be measured by seats-to-votes ratio . Malapportionment may be deliberate, for reasons such as biasing representation toward geographic areas or
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#1732851890285348-736: Is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland . It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis . The State House also houses the Maryland State Senate and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland. Each delegate has offices in Annapolis, in
377-490: Is the process by which seats in a legislative body are distributed among administrative divisions , such as states or parties, entitled to representation . This page presents the general principles and issues related to apportionment. The page apportionment by country describes the specific practices used around the world. The page Mathematics of apportionment describes mathematical formulations and properties of apportionment rules. The simplest and most universal principle
406-532: Is then divided further into sub-committees by issue area. An additional continuing committee, Executive Nominations, has the responsibility for confirming appointments of the Governor . Delegates also divide themselves into a variety of legally recognized work groups, Joint and Special Committees, caucuses , and geographic delegations. The two largest caucuses are those of the Democratic and Republican Parties. Smaller caucuses might group Delegates by identity, such as
435-620: The United States , the Republican Party benefits from institutional advantages to rural states with low populations, such that the Senate and the Presidency may reflect results counter to the total popular vote. Unequal representation can be measured in the following ways: Even when electoral districts have similar populations, legislators may draw the boundaries to pursue private agendas; see Gerrymandering . Another form of malapportionment
464-445: The electoral threshold are considered for apportionment. In this system, voters do not vote for a person to represent their geographic district, but for a political party that aligns with the voter's philosophy. Each party names a number of representatives based on the number of votes it receives nationally. This system tallies (agglomerates) more of the voters' preferences. As in other systems parties with very few voters do not earn
493-662: The House of Delegates has the sole power to impeach members of the executive branch, including the Governor. Once the House of Delegates has passed articles of impeachment, the person impeached stands trial before the State Senate. The House of Delegates utilizes a number of different organizational structures. Much of the work of drafting and reviewing bills is done by six standing committees: Appropriations, Economic Matters, Environment and Transportation, Health and Government Operations, Judiciary, and Ways and Means. Each of these committees
522-505: The Lower House substantial latitude with its legislative agenda. The first General Assembly under Royal Authority, in 1692, passed 85 acts in a single session. The Lower House immediately acted to remove the Governor's influence over the election of delegates. Now, elected delegates could attend the session without the need for a special writ from the Governor. At the same time, standing or continuing committees were established. These eliminated
551-453: The Lower House's reliance on ad hoc committees and created the first modern legislature in Maryland. During this period, the Lower House became known as the "House of Delegates". The Maryland Constitution of 1776 formally established the modern House of Delegates. Initially, representation was based on geography as the voters of each county elected four delegates, and two each were elected from
580-480: The Maryland House of Delegates are outlined in the Maryland Constitution. Along with the State Senate, the House has the power to approve laws, establish executive departments, levy taxes, and propose state constitutional amendments. Both houses also have the power to elect the state treasurer and to appoint a new Governor if the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor are simultaneously vacant. In addition,
609-478: The Province, and thus tended to protect his interests in Maryland. Conversely, the Lower House tended to push for political change in the colony, claiming to be the true elected representatives of the people. In this context, the Lower House continually fought for more power by asserting exclusive rights in certain legislative areas, such as levying taxes and originating money bills. This reflected similar attitudes in
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#1732851890285638-564: The Women's Caucus, notably the first women's legislative caucus founded in the United States. The Asian-American and Pacific Islander caucus, or Legislative Black Caucus are other examples. Delegates may also organize by issue or area of experience, such as the Veterans' Caucus. In addition, delegates from a certain county, smaller towns, or Baltimore City might organize its delegate delegation into
667-434: The body in reaction to political events, no system tries to make real-time adjustments (during one term of office) to reflect demographic changes. Instead, any redistricting takes effect at the next scheduled election or next scheduled census . In some representative assemblies, each member represents a geographic district. Equal representation requires that districts comprise the same number of residents or voters. But this
696-423: The fact that each county was entitled to elect four delegates, the governor selected only two of these to sit in the Lower House. This enabled the Governor to control the Lower House's membership. In 1689, the transfer of Maryland from a proprietary colony to a royal colony temporarily quieted the disputes between the Lower House and the Governor and Council. Appointed by the crown, the royal governors allowed
725-416: The interests of an outside group of voters if it pertains to their district as well or is of national importance. The representative has the power, and in many theories or jurisdictions the duty, to represent the whole cohort of people from their district. For party-list proportional representation elections the number of seats for a political party is determined by the number of votes. Only parties crossing
754-700: The nearby Casper R. Taylor Jr. House Office Building. The Maryland House of Delegates originated as the Lower House of the General Assembly of the Province of Maryland in 1650, when it was an English colony, when the Assembly (legislature) became a bicameral body. The Lower House often fought with the Upper House for political influence in the colony. The Upper House consisted of the Governor and his Council, all personally appointed by Lord Baltimore and Proprietor of
783-620: The other colonies on the East Coast of North America with the beginnings and growth of representative government during the 17th century, as each province's representatives constantly agitated for more rights, powers, and respect from the Proprietors, Governors, and even the King and Parliament in London. The Governor also had some measure of control over the Lower House in the late seventeenth century. Despite
812-451: The towns of Annapolis and Baltimore . These delegates served one-year terms (increased to two years in 1845, and four years in 1922, as it is today). Beginning with the 1838 elections, each county elected at least three and up to six delegates depending on its population. Baltimore City elected the same number of delegates as did the most populous county, but after 1840, the Town of Annapolis
841-522: Was then considered part of Anne Arundel County . Reapportionment was required after every federal census in an attempt to achieve equal representation. The current pattern for distribution of seats in the House of Delegates began with the legislative apportionment plan of 1972 and has been revised every ten years thereafter. The plan created 47 legislative districts, many of which cross county boundaries to delineate districts relatively equal in population. Each legislative district sends three delegates for
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