4
QuizMultiple Choice

Voting — Quiz

Question 4 • Principles of American Democracy

Why did the US Supreme Court rule against the state of Tennessee in Baker v. Carr ?

Answer
A
Tennessee had refused to create districts that were the same shape.
B
Tennessee had discriminated in favor of city voters over rural voters.
C
Tennessee had refused to take part in the national census.
D
Tennessee had not redistricted since 1901, keeping rural districts in power.

Explanation

Tennessee had not redrawn its legislative districts since 1901, even as population shifted toward cities. As a result, rural districts had far fewer residents per representative than urban districts, weakening the voting power of city residents. The Court ruled that challenges to this unequal representation could be heard by federal courts. The correct choice is that Tennessee had not redistricted since 1901, keeping rural districts in power.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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