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This text provides information about Congressional membership in the House of Representatives, the sessions and term limits, representation and reapportionment, and the practice of gerrymandering districts. Learn about the requirements to become a member, the process of reapportionment and redistricting, and the tactics of packing and cracking in gerrymandering.
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Congressional Sessions & Membership:House of Reps. • Term: 2 Years • Begin on January 3 of odd-numbered years • Each terms is 2 Sessions (Meetings) • Membership: • 25 years old • Citizen of the U.S. for at least 7 years • Legal residents of the state elected • Elections held in November of even numbered years
Representation & Reapportionment • Every 10 years a census or population count • Reapportionment = population of each state determines the new number of representatives to which each is entitled • Redistricting = process of setting up new district lines after reapportionment has been completed • Reapportionment Act of 1929: Limits the House to 435 Members • Supreme Court: “one-person-one-vote” rule • Each district contains 650,000 people
Gerrymandering • The political party controlling the state government draws a district’s boundaries to gain an advantage in elections • Elbridge Gerry (MA) • Packing: drawing the lines so they include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible • Cracking: means dividing an opponent’s voters into other districts, to weaken the opponent’s voter base
