The Legislative Branch “Those who respect the law and love sausage should watch neither being made!” – Mark Twain

Bicameral Congress -Familiar due to British Parliament -Part of Constitutional Convention’s “Great Compromise” -Way to further divide power -Notion that House is directly responsive to the People, while Senate can serve to check popular passions

House of Representatives 435 members (since 1920s) All face election every two years (length of a “term of Congress,”) Therefore seen as more immediately responsive to “folks back home” Every state guaranteed at least one Representative Currently 83 women & 352 men Colorado has 7 Representatives; 1 woman & 6 men

Congressional Districts 435 districts each elect one Representative 7 smallest states only have one representative Each state’s legislature is required to draw districts that are “contiguous,” “relatively equal number of inhabitants,” “compact territory” Not well-enforced; considerable room for interpretation; Colorado’s map?

Gerrymandering -The practice of drawing Congressional districts to the advantage of the party that controls a state’s legislature -Minority party’s (likely) voters either spread thin among multiple districts or all packed into one district -Vice “Divide & Conquer” HBO Go or, if not available: https://news.vice.com/story/gerrymanderin g-american-democracy

Qualifications for House Members At least 25 years old Been a US citizen for at least 7 years Must be an inhabitant of state from which elected Customary to reside in district, too

The Senate 100 members (all states have two members) All face election every six years (this staggering results in “continuous body”) Therefore seen as more capable of resistance to “the passions of the moment” Members originally chosen by state legislatures Changes with 1913’s 17th Amendment Currently 21 women & 79 men Colorado is represented by Michael Bennet (D) & Cory Gardner (R)

Bennet (e. 2010) & Gardner (e. 2014)

Qualifications for Senate Members At least 30 years old Been a US citizen for at least 9 years Must be an inhabitant of state from which elected