How do elections, redistricting, partisanship, and divided government shape the way members of Congress behave and the policies Congress produces?
Topic 2.3 Congressional Behavior: explain how congressional behavior is influenced and constrained by election processes, partisanship, and divided government.
A focused answer to AP US Government Topic 2.3: how elections, gerrymandering, the trustee and delegate models, partisanship, divided government, and gridlock shape the behavior of members of Congress and the policies they produce.
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What this topic is asking
Topic 2.3 explains why members of Congress act the way they do. The College Board wants you to see how outside pressures, elections, redistricting, partisanship, and divided government, shape and constrain congressional behavior, often producing gridlock. This is the "politics" half of Congress, complementing the structure of Topics 2.1 and 2.2.
Elections and redistricting
Members of Congress are, above all, focused on re-election, which shapes their behavior.
How members decide their votes
The exam tests three models of representation:
- Trustee model. The member uses their own judgement about the national interest, even against constituents' immediate wishes. Federalist No. 10's idea that representatives "refine and enlarge" public views supports this.
- Delegate model. The member votes the way their constituents want, acting as their mouthpiece. This reflects popular sovereignty most directly.
- Politico model. The member blends the two, acting as a delegate on issues constituents care about and a trustee on technical or distant ones.
Partisanship, divided government, and gridlock
These dynamics explain why Congress's approval ratings are often low even as individual members are re-elected: voters dislike the institution's gridlock but like their own responsive representative.
Why this matters for the exam
Topic 2.3 is a favorite for Concept Application (a gerrymandering or divided-government scenario) and Argument Essays (trustee versus delegate). It also connects to data on polarization in the Quantitative Analysis FRQ.
Try this
Q1. Define gerrymandering. [Recall]
- Cue. Drawing district boundaries to favor one party or group, using tactics like packing and cracking.
Q2. Explain how a safe seat affects a member's behavior. [Short explanation]
- Cue. With little general-election threat, the member fears a primary challenge from their party's ideological wing, pushing them toward more partisan positions.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of College Board exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AP 2018 (style)3 marksA state legislature redraws its congressional district lines so that one party is likely to win far more seats than its share of the statewide vote. A. Identify the practice described. B. Explain how this practice can affect the behavior of the members elected from those districts. C. Explain one way the practice can be challenged.Show worked answer →
A Concept Application FRQ, 3 points (A, B, C).
A. Identify: gerrymandering (partisan redistricting).
B. Explain behavior: members from safe, lopsided districts face little general-election threat, so they may behave more ideologically and fear primary challengers more than the broad electorate, increasing partisanship.
C. Explain a challenge: courts can strike down racial gerrymanders (as in Shaw v. Reno), or reformers can use independent redistricting commissions.
Markers reward naming the practice and linking it to a real behavioral consequence.
AP 2022 (style)6 marksDevelop an argument about whether members of Congress should act as trustees or as delegates when voting on legislation. Use at least one piece of evidence from one of the following: the Constitution of the United States or Federalist No. 10. Provide a defensible thesis, evidence and reasoning, and a response to an opposing perspective.Show worked answer →
An Argument Essay FRQ, 6-point rubric.
Thesis (1): e.g. "Members should generally act as trustees, using their judgement for the national interest, because the framers designed a republic, not a direct democracy."
Evidence (up to 3): the republican design of Article I; Federalist No. 10 on representatives refining the public view; the representative structure of Congress.
Reasoning (1): explain how trustee behavior serves the long-term and national interest.
Alternative perspective (1): concede that the delegate model better reflects popular sovereignty, then argue judgement is needed for complex policy.
Related dot points
- Topic 2.1 Congress: The Senate and the House of Representatives: describe the different structures, powers, and functions of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
A focused answer to AP US Government Topic 2.1: the different structures, terms, and powers of the House and Senate, why Congress is bicameral, and the unique constitutional roles of each chamber under Article I.
- Topic 2.2 Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress: explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policymaking process.
A focused answer to AP US Government Topic 2.2: the enumerated and implied powers of Congress, the committee system and leadership, the budget and lawmaking process, and the difference between mandatory and discretionary spending.
- Topic 2.4 Roles and Powers of the President: explain how the president can implement a policy agenda.
A focused answer to AP US Government Topic 2.4: the formal (Article II) and informal powers of the president, including the veto, commander-in-chief, appointments, treaties, executive orders, and how a president implements a policy agenda.
- Topic 2.5 Checks on the Presidency: explain how the president's agenda can create tension and frequent confrontations with Congress.
A focused answer to AP US Government Topic 2.5: how Congress, the courts, and the Constitution check the president through the override, power of the purse, confirmation, impeachment, and judicial review, and why the president's agenda clashes with Congress.
- Topic 2.15 Policy and the Branches of Government: explain the extent to which governmental branches are responsive and accountable to the public when making policy.
A focused answer to AP US Government Topic 2.15: how Congress, the president, the courts, and the bureaucracy interact across the policymaking process, the tension between responsiveness and gridlock, and how to synthesize the whole unit.
Sources & how we know this
- AP United States Government and Politics Course and Exam Description — College Board (2020)