THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

House of Representatives

Size and Terms  There are 435 members in the House  They are apportioned based on population  Each state is guaranteed one representative  Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming  Some territories have representatives that are not full members of the House  They are chosen every two years  No limit on the number of terms they may serve  People have tried to pass a limit amendment

Term Limit Propaganda

Reapportionment  Each ten years the House is reapportioned  The nation grew very quickly  So did Congress  By 1910 it had grown to 435 members  The Reapportionment act of 1929 set the size at 435  Each seat is about 710,000 people  The Census Bureau determines the number of seats for each state  Congress must “approve” the reapportionment

2010 Reapportionment

Congressional Elections  Elections are on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November of even years  Went into effect in 1872  Elections not conducted at the same time as presidential elections are off-year elections  Typical for the president’s party to lose seats

Districts  There are 435 districts  States set up districts  No mention in the Constitution  Seats were filled at large  Congress did away with at large elections in 1842  State legislatures draw the district lines  They must be:  Contiguous  Population equal  Compact

Kansas Districts

Qualifications  There are two “types” of qualifications  Formal and Informal  Formal:  At least 25 years of age  Citizen for at least 7 years  Must live in the state you are elected from  Custom (not law) requires you live in the district you represent  Congress can not seat a member or throw one out  Powell v. McCormack in 1969 said you cannot exclude a member if they meet the requirements

Patrick Murphy (Youngest Member)

Expulsions and Punishment  Five people have been booted from congress  Three in 1861 for “support of rebellion”  Michael Myers in 1980 for corruption  James Traficant in 2002 for bribery and tax evasion  People can be “punished”  People will often resign before being kicked out or punished

Informal Requirements  These deal more with ability to get votes  Vary from State to State and district to district  Include:  Ethnicity  Political experience  Name familiarity