Government: 10.2 The House of Representatives
Explain how House seats reapportioned among the States after each census.
- Every 10 years the Census Bureau counts the national population. - Then Census figures are then used to decide how many representatives each state will have until the next Census is taken. - Currently, each seat in the House represents about 700,000 people.
Explain how House seats are distributed and describe the length of a term in the House.
- Seats are distributed based on the population of each state, with each state guaranteed at least one representative. - Max Term in House is 10 years
How are the seats in the House distributed and what qualifications must members meet?
- There are currently 435 seats in the House. - Seats are distributed based on the population of each state, with each state guaranteed at least one representative. QUALIFICATIONS - Representatives must be at least 25 years old, - have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, - reside in the state that they represent.
single-member district
- an election district from which voters elect a single state representative to the House of Representatives
off-year election
- congressional election that occurs between presidential election years
gerrymander
- drawing the boundaries of an election district so that it gives an advantage to the political party that controls the state legislature
incumbent
- the person who currently holds a political office
apportionment
- to distribute seats in the House of Representatives among the States on the basis of their populations
reapportion
- to redistribute the seats in the House every ten years, after each census
at-large election
-an election system in which all candidates are elected from the state as a whole, rather than from a single district
Describe a typical congressional election and congressional district
CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION - Representatives, like Rep. John Conyers (D., Mich.) are elected every two years. - There are no limits on how many two-year terms representatives can serve. - Each state holds elections in November of even-numbered years. - Elections held in non-presidential years are called off-year elections. - Usually the party that holds the presidency loses seats in an off-year election. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT - Representatives are elected from single-member congressional districts. - The voters in each district can elect only one representative to the House. - High population states have more districts than small population states. - 7 states have only one representative, so their district consists of the entire state.
Analyze the formal and informal qualifications for election to the House.
FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS - Custom requires representatives to live in the districts they represent. - Representatives must: - Be at least 25 years old -Have been a U.S. citizen for at least 7 years - Be an inhabitant of the state from which he or she is elected. - House has the power to refuse to seat an elected member, to punish members, and to expel them. INFORMAL QUALIFICATIONS - Include factors such as gender, ethnicity, political experience, name recognition, and party affiliation. - Being an incumbent is a big advantage—more than 90 percent of those seeking reelection to the House win. - Being able to raise money is also a key. In 2008 the average cost of running a winning campaign for a seat in the House was over $1 million.