A state may lose a congressional district primarily due to a decrease in population. When a state's population decreases, it may not qualify for the same number of congressional seats it previously had, leading to a reduction in representation. This can significantly impact minority rights if the district that is lost has a substantial minority population.
Specifically, one of the relevant options is:
- "A decrease in population may cause a district to be redrawn and therefore gerrymandered."
This can be crucial because the process of redrawing districts can be manipulated (gerrymandering) to dilute the voting power of minority groups by spreading them across multiple districts or concentrating them into a single district, ultimately decreasing their overall influence in the political process.