CONGRESS SENATE 6 year terms 100 senators 2 per state HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2 year terms 435 Representatives Apportioned between the states based on population Each member represents more than 500 000 people Meant to evolve more quickly based on the sentiments of the public CONGRESS QUALIFICATIONS SENATE US Citizen for 9 years Legal Resident of the State 30 Years old HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Us Citizen for 7 years Legal Resident of the State 25 years old SENATE SEATS 2 SENATORS FROM EACH STATE EACH SENATOR IS ELECTED STATE WIDE AND REPRESENTS THE WHOLE STATE 2 SENATORS ARE NEVER UP FOR ELECTION AT THE SAME TIME THERE ARE CURRENTLY 100 SENATORS o 1 ST CONGRESS 24 o 1800 32 o 1900 90 o 1959 100 H AWAII BECAME A STATE THE HOUSE SEATS CURRENTLY 435 SEATS TEXAS HAS 32 NOT DEIFIED BY CONSTITUTION EACH STATE ENTITLED TO AT LEAST ONE REP THE CONGRESS HAD SINCE 65 REPRESENTATIVES 1929 THE NUMBER HAS BEEN CAPPED AT 435 APPORTIONMENT After each 10 year census Congress divides the 435 seats between the states based upon their relative population State legislatures determine the single member geographical districts that each representative will represent Each district must have o EQUAL REPRESENTATION o CONTIGUOUS BOUNDARIES o o GEOGRAPHICALLY COMPACT AREA BUT COMPACT AND CONTIGUOUS BOUNDARIES ARE NOT ALWAYS THE CASE WHAT DOES EQUAL MEAN REPRESENTATION STYLE MALAPPORTIONMENT o WHEN THE RELATIVE VOTING POWER OF CITIZENS IN ONE DISTRICT BECOMES GREQATER THAN THE VOTING POWER OF CITIZENS IN ANOTHER DISTRICT IN THE 1960S FOR EXAMPLE 33 OF THE TEXAS POPULATION COULD ELECT A MAJORITY OF THE STATE HOUSE AND SENATE GERRYMANDERING o Drawing district lines to gain partisan advantage EQUAL REPRSENTATION The Supreme Court has established the one person one vote rule requiring districts of equal population o BAKER V CARR 1962 o o ONE PERSON ONE VOTE CONGRESSIONAL FEDERAL ELECTIONS WESTBERRY V SANDERS CAN WE HEAR THIS REYNOLDS V SIMS 1964 DEALS WITH STATE LEGISLATURE IS IT EQUAL REPRESENTATION IF EACH DISTRICT HAS DIFFERENT POPULATIONS COURT SAYS POPULATIONS MUST BE EQUAL OR AT LEAST SIMILAR In the 1990s the DOJ directed states to draw congressional boundaries in order to maximize minority voting power these are Minority Majority districts Is this legal REPRSENTATION STYLES TRUSTEE o DOES WHAT IS BEST FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY SENATE INSTRUCTED DELEGATE o DOES ONLY WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE CONSTITUENTS HOUSE MEMBERS PARTISAN POLITICO MAVERICK o VOTES STRICTLY UPON PARTY LINES o A COMBINATION OF ALL THREE
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