| ID | 163360 |
| Title Proper | Nothing on the Floor |
| Other Title Information | Congress, the Territorial Delegates, and Political Representation |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Sparrow, Bartholomew H ; Lewallen, Jonathan |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE MANY WAYS TO ACHIEVE their multiple goals of being reelected, making policy, and gaining power and prestige within their institution. Of these, roll call voting is the most visible and, many scholars argue, the most important signal that legislators send to their constituents, colleagues, and interest groups about their positions and achievements.
Yet since 1790, and permanently since 1794, the U.S. Congress has included delegates who cannot vote on the House floor—those from the United States’ territories. Congress currently includes five delegates from the U.S. island territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marianas) as well as a delegate from Washington, DC. None of them is able to participate in roll call votes on the House floor, yet these delegates represent 4.52 million total residents which, according to 2015 Census Bureau estimates, would amount to the 26th most populous state between Louisiana (4.7 million) and Kentucky (4.4 million) in size. |
| `In' analytical Note | Political Science Quarterly Vol. 133, No.4; Winter 2018: p.729-752 |
| Journal Source | Political Science Quarterly Vol: 133 No 4 |
| Key Words | United States ; US Congress ; US Constitution ; Territorial Delegates ; US Republic Government |