1. The House of Representatives V The Senate
Congress
The House of Representatives V
The Senate

2. Congress Structure Congress is bicameral
House of Representatives: 435 members
The U.S Senate: 100 members
Created by the Connecticut Compromise
Balanced equal representation with population
Provided check and balance between Congress

3. The House of Representatives
All House seats up for re-election every two years.
Reapportionment
The Reapportionment Act of 1929 ( pg 125)
Set house seats at 435
Rate of population growth was making House too large.
After the Census (every 10 years), the Census Bureau re-divides the 435 seats among the states.
States gain or lose seats based on their new population.

6. Gerrymandering has restrictions:
When states gain or lose seats, the state governments create new districts.
Gerrymandering = drawing crooked boundary lines for districts to benefit a party.
Gerrymandering has restrictions:
Wesberry v Sanders 1964: Supreme Court ruled that districts must be divided up evenly among state population.
Gomillion v Lightfoot 1960: District lines cannot be divided by race.

8. The Senate
Unlike the House of Representatives, Senators represent the entire state.
The Senate is a continuous body. Only 33 or 34 senators face re-election each election year.
Senators gain more media attention than the House. Have more influence on issues.
Approves treaties
Approves presidential appointments.