House of Representatives

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.