The Congress Lesson 1

Congress: Senate and House of Representatives

House of Representatives  Size: 435 members  Term Length: 2 years  No term limits  Elections  All up for re-election every 2 years  Represents people in one district  Constitutional Qualifications  At least 25 years old  Citizen for 7 years  Live in state he / she represents

Missouri Representatives Wm. Lacy Clay (D) 1 st District Todd Akin (R) 2 nd District Russ Carnahan (D) 3 rd District

Missouri Representatives Jo Ann Emerson (R) District 8 Kenny Hulshof (R) 9 th District Sam Graves (R) 6 th District Vicky Hartzler (R) 4 th District Billy Long (R) 7 th District Emmanuel Cleaver (D) 5 th District

Senate  Size: 100 members  Term: Length: 6 Years  No term limits  Elections  1/3 of Senators up for re-election every 2 years  Represents people in whole state  Constitutional Qualifications  At least 30 years old  Citizen for 9 years  Live in the state he/she represents

Missouri Senators Sen. Roy Blunt (R)Sen. Claire McCaskill (D)

Caucasian 385 Asian 25 Caucasian 457 Asian 10 Other Christian 3 Other 6 Other 3

How are seats in the House and Senate divided among the states?

Apportionment of Seats  Apportionment is the distribution of seats in the House and Senate  The Senate has a total of 100 seats, 2 per state  The House has 435 seats  These seats are divided among the states according to each state’s population  Congress sets total number of seats

The Census  The population is counted every 10 years (1990,2000, 2010, for example)  Census is important because  Results are used to calculate how House seats should be redistributed (REAPPORTIONED)  Each state is guaranteed one representative  Congress caps number of House members at 435  Average population a House member represents  Currently 646,952  2012: 710, 767

Redistricting  Whether a state looses or gains seats in the House, each state must redistrict itself to accommodate the change What does that mean?  Redrawing their House district lines States are in charge of redistricting

Gerrymandering What is it?  Redrawing the boundaries of congressional districts to influence the outcome of elections.

How did we get the name Gerrymandering?  First printed in March 1812, this political cartoon was drawn in reaction to the state senate electoral districts drawn by the Massachusetts legislature to favor the Democratic-Republican party candidates of Governor Elbridge Gerry over the Federalists.

Two forms of Gerrymandering  Packing  Concentrating the opposition’s voters in one or a few districts leaving the other districts safe for the dominant party

 Fragmenting (Cracking)  Spreading the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts limiting the ability for the opposition to win anywhere in region

Redistricting in Missouri From 9 to 8 Seats

What do states have to keep in mind when redistricting? The US Supreme Court has ruled that districts must meet these three requirements  Population Equity: Districts must have about the same number of people in them  Contiguity: Districts must be of one solid shape; no land islands  Compactness: Districts must be compact shapes; no jagged lines or skinny extensions

Review  Apportionment  Reapportionment  Census  Gerrymandering  Fragmenting (cracking)  Packing

House and Senate  Number of members  Total Number  Term length  Term limit  Elections held when / who is up for election  How is apportionment determined?  Constitutional qualifications  Age  Citizenship  Residency