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• Delegate or Trustee Student Handout

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Directions: Read the following paragraphs, then fill in the table that follows.

Americans live in a system of representative government, not a direct democracy. That means that they elect representatives to embody their will and represent their interests in the national Congress.

One of the challenges facing members of Congress is the distinction between members as delegates and members as trustees. Traditionally, representatives in Congress have been seen as trustees of the people. Using this view, members are elected by the people because voters trust their judgment. Members are expected to know their constituents’ opinions, but then use their judgment and vote for policies that will best serve the interests of the voters in their district and the nation as a whole.

By contrast, in the model that members of Congress are delegates, members are expected to survey the opinions of their constituents and vote according to the will of the constituents, even if the member’s judgment might be different.

In some ways, both conceptions of representation are present in the Constitution, as House members are elected directly by the people every two years, forcing them to function as delegates who are attentive to the demands of the voters. Senators, representing their entire state and elected for a six-year term, are more likely to function as trustees. This feature was even more pronounced before the Seventeenth Amendment when Senators were elected by their state legislators, distancing them from the immediate pressures of voters. But no representative—in the House or the Senate—is bound to either model of representation; members must make their own judgments about how to best represent their constituents.

Delegate Model of Representation	Trustee Model of Representation
Representatives vote for laws that are consistent with the interests and views of their constituents.	Representatives exercise their own judgment and pursue just laws and the common good while taking their constituents’ views into account.
In my own words:	In my own words:
Draw it:	Draw it:

 

Directions: Read each description and decide whether each representative is acting as a delegate or a trustee. Then, answer the analysis questions.

 

Representative Alvarez	Representative  Zito
Several times a year Representative  Alvarez hires a political research firm to survey his constituents about different issues facing Congress. He instructs his staff to carefully monitor email, letters, and phone calls from people in the district, and present him with a weekly summary of their opinions. Congressman Alvarez believes that if he listens to his constituents, knows their thoughts and opinions, and votes accordingly, he should have no problem getting re-elected.	Representative Zito regularly appears on TV programs, where she debates other politicians about the issues facing Congress and explains her vision about the role and direction of government. Few people in her district have any doubt about where she stands, and she is confident that by remaining consistent in her vision, and explaining her vision to her constituents, she will have little difficulty in getting re-elected.
Representative Alvarez acting as a delegate or trustee? Explain.	Is Representative Zito acting as a delegate or trustee? Explain.

 

 

Assess and Reflect

Write a short paragraph response to the following questions. When finished, participate in a class discussion about your answers.

• Is it better for a Congress member to use one model of representation over another, or a combination? Explain.

• The Framers intended Congress to “refine and enlarge” the views of the people that elected them. In other words, they were to take the views of the people and discuss and debate them in a deliberative manner. Which model of representation best reflects this idea? Do you think Congress acts this way today? Explain.