The constitutional process of distributing seats in the House of Representatives among the states based on population as determined by the decennial census. Each state must receive at least one representative regardless of population size.
From Old French 'aporcionner' (to divide into portions). The concept became constitutionally mandated in Article I, Section 2, requiring a census every ten years to ensure fair representation as populations shift.
The first apportionment crisis nearly broke the young nation in 1792 when President Washington cast the first presidential veto over a math problem—how to fairly divide 105 House seats among 15 states led to such heated debate that Jefferson and Hamilton created competing formulas that are still studied today!
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