Final answer:
When states are given a new number of members to the House of Representatives, it is called apportionment. Apportionment is the process of determining the number of seats in the House of Representatives that each state is entitled to based on its population.
Step-by-step explanation:
When states are given a new number of members to the House of Representatives, it is called apportionment. Apportionment is the process of determining the number of seats in the House of Representatives that each state is entitled to based on its population. This process is conducted every ten years after the national Census.
The number of representatives is dependent upon the population of the states. Every state has at least one House seat, with larger states having more. If a state gains or loses seats in the House, the state must redraw districts to ensure each district has an equal number of citizens.
In 1929, Congress limited the House of Representatives to 435 members and established a formula to determine how many districts would be in each state. This formula uses U.S. Census Bureau population data, gathered every ten years, to allocate seats based on the population of each state.