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House of Representatives

House of Representatives. Often called the lower house The US Constitution grants each state one representative Seats are apportioned among states on the basis of their respective populations The first Congress had 65 members, now there are 435 members. House History.

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House of Representatives

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  1. House of Representatives • Often called the lower house • The US Constitution grants each state one representative • Seats are apportioned among states on the basis of their respective populations • The first Congress had 65 members, now there are 435 members

  2. House History • The size was set at 65 until the government could get a census count (by 1800, the house was up to 106 representatives) • The House continually grew as the population increased and reached it’s high at 435 in 1920 • In 1929, The Reapportionment Act was passed to cap the House at 435

  3. Some House stats • There are 232 Republicans, 202 Democrats, and 1 Independent out of the 435 people in the House • The average age is 56 years • The average term length is 9.3 years • There are 68 women, 42 African Americans, 26 Hispanics, 5 Asians, and 1 American Indian in the House

  4. How do you get in? • Qualifications • 25 years old • Citizen of the U.S. for at least 7 years • Established residency in the state that elects them (traditionally, they live in the district they represent)

  5. How about once you win? • Elections for the entire House are held in every even-numbered year (90% of incumbents are re-elected) • The term begins on January 3rd • House members can serve as many terms as they want • If a member dies or resigns, the state Governor calls for a special election

  6. Redistribution • Congress has to redistribute the seats after each decennial census • States win or lose seats based on their population gains or losses (VA has 11 seats, CA has 53) • One seat represents roughly 650,000 people per the 2000 U.S. Census

  7. Reapportionment • After the seats are redistributed, state legislatures divide their states into the allotted number of districts • Each district must be a compact, contiguous territory and have relatively the same number of people in each one • In Wesberry v. Sanders (1964), the US Supreme Court ruled that congressional district should be close to equal in population

  8. Gerrymandering • Gerrymandering- drawing districts to the advantage of the majority party in the state legislature • Two gerrymandering methods: • Concentrate opposing voters in one or few districts to protect seats • Spread the opposition thin to limit the ability for a party to carry any district • Texas

  9. Other Gerrymandering methods • Majority-Minority districts were created by a few states to increase the likelihood of minority representation • In Shaw v. Reno (1993), the US Supreme Court ruled that while race could not be the controlling factor in drawing districts, it could be in a mix of factors in the process

  10. Recap • Congress seats are based on _____ __________ • ___________ is done by Congress after every census • __________ is done by state legislatures • Districts drawn to the advantage of the majority party in the state legislature is called ___________ • Race can be among a mix of factors that decide how ________ are drawn, but not the chief factor.

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