1. CH. 10-2 THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

2. SIZE AND TERMS 435 Representatives—set by Congress
Each state has at least 1 representative based on population
Only 1 representative – AK, DE, MT, ND, SD, VT, WY
DC, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa elect a delegate to represent them in the house (not full members)
Article I, Section 2, Clause 1—”Representatives shall be…chosen every second Year…”
Short term means that representatives need to pay close attention to “the folks back home”
No term limits

3. REAPPORTIONMENT
Article I directs Congress to REAPPORTION (redistribute) the seats in the house after each DECENNIAL (10 years) census
Original House had 65 members
A GROWING NATION
1800—146 seats; 1810—186 seats
1910—AZ & NM added—435 seats
1920—No reapportionment completed (violated constitution)

4. THE REAPPORTIONMENT ACT OF 1929
Set up “automatic reapportionment”
1) set up “permanent” size of the House at 435
each seat represents approx. 650,000
2) Census Bureau determines plan for number of representatives for each state after census
3) President sends plan sent to Congress for approval
4) If plan not rejected by either house within 60 days, it becomes effective

5. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS
DATE
Congressional elections are held on the same day in every state
1872—Election held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday
1872—Written or printed ballots used
1899—Voting machines approved
OFF-YEAR ELECTIONS
Elections that occur in years without a presidential election
Usually the party in power (party that holds the presidency) loses seats during off-year elections

6. (chart p. 269—Gains and Losses in Off-year elections)
DISTRICTS
SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICT—voters in each district elect 1 person to be the representative for that district
AT-LARGE—all representatives are elected from the state without districts
1842—At-Large elections were outlawed by Congress
1872—Districts required to have “as nearly as practicable an equal number of inhabitants”
1901—All districts needed to be of “compact territory” (small geographic area)

7. GERRYMANDERING
Districts are drawn to the advantage of the political party that controls the State’s legislature
Gerrymandering is wide-spread today at all levels of government
Two reasons:
1) to concentrate the opposition’s voters in one or a few districts, thus leaving other districts comfortably safe
2) to spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts, limiting the opposition’s ability to win anywhere in the region.

8. Congressional districts varied widely with regard to population
WESBERRY v. SANDERS (1964)
Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution demanded that the States draw congressional districts of substantially equal populations
“One person, one vote”
Gerrymandering according to race is a violation of the XVth Amendment

9. QUALIFICATIONS FOR HOUSE MEMBERS
FORMAL QUALIFICATIONS
1) at least 25 years of age
2) citizen of the USA for at least 7 years
3) live in the state you are elected from
Custom says you must live in the district you are representing
The House decides about any challenge to an election
The House can refuse to seat a member by majority vote
The House can “punish its Members for disorderly behavior” by majority vote
The House can expel a member by 2/3 vote

10. INFORMAL QUALIFICATIONS
Have to do with the candidate’s vote-getting abilities:
1) Party identification
2) Name familiarity
3) Gender
4) Ethnic characteristics
5) Political experience
The right combination of these factors can help a candidate win nomination and election.
The “wrong” combination will almost certainly spell defeat
The End