The House of Representatives

1. The House of Representatives

2. House of Representatives

3. Size and Terms • There are 435 members in the House • They are apportioned based on population • Each state is guaranteed one representative • Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming • Some territories have representatives that are not full members of the House • They are chosen every two years • No limit on the number of terms they may serve • People have tried to pass a limit amendment

4. Term Limit Propaganda

5. Term Limit Propaganda

6. Reapportionment • Each ten years the House is reapportioned • The nation grew very quickly • So did Congress • By 1910 it had grown to 435 members • The Reapportionment act of 1929 set the size at 435 • Each seat is about 710,000 people • The Census Bureau determines the number of seats for each state • Congress must “approve” the reapportionment

7. 2010 Reapportionment

8. Congressional Elections • Elections are on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November of even years • Went into effect in 1872 • Elections not conducted at the same time as presidential elections are off-year elections • Typical for the president’s party to lose seats

9. Districts • There are 435 districts • States set up districts • No mention in the Constitution • Seats were filled at large • Congress did away with at large elections in 1842 • State legislatures draw the district lines • They must be: • Contiguous • Population equal • Compact

10. Kansas Districts

11. Qualifications • There are two “types” of qualifications • Formal and Informal • Formal: • At least 25 years of age • Citizen for at least 7 years • Must live in the state you are elected from • Custom (not law) requires you live in the district you represent • Congress can not seat a member or throw one out • Powell v. McCormack in 1969 said you cannot exclude a member if they meet the requirements

12. Patrick Murphy (Youngest Member)

13. Expulsions and Punishment • Five people have been booted from congress • Three in 1861 for “support of rebellion” • Michael Myers in 1980 for corruption • James Traficant in 2002 for bribery and tax evasion • People can be “punished” • People will often resign before being kicked out or punished

14. Informal Requirements • These deal more with ability to get votes • Vary from State to State and district to district • Include: • Ethnicity • Political experience • Name familiarity