10.2

Question 1

What is the exact size of the house of representatives? Is it fixed by the Constitution?

Answer 1

435 members. No, it is not fixed by the constitution. It is set by Congress

Question 2

What does the Constitution say about the House of Representatives?

Answer 2

It says that it shall be apportioned among the states on the basis of their respective populations

Question 3

How manys reps is each state guarenteed? What states have the minimal amount of reps?

Answer 3

1 rep per state is the minimum. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming

Question 4

Voters in the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands as well as American Samoa are represented how?

Answer 4

They can elect a delegate to represent them in the house.

Question 5

How is Puerto Rico represented?

Answer 5

They elect a resident commissioner

Question 6

The officials from territories of the united states…do they vote on issues?

Answer 6

No, they are not full fledged representatives, and thus cannot vote on bills

Question 7

Is there a constitutional limit on the number of terms any member of Congress can serve?

Answer 7

No, however there was an effort to add an amendment limiting them

Question 8

Article I of the Constitution directs Congress to ___________ the seats in the House every 10 years

Answer 8

reapportionment

Question 9

Until a first cencus could be taken, what was the size of the House?

Answer 9

IT was 65 seats.

Question 10

What was a problem that states faced with reapportionment?

Answer 10

The house had grown very large, and wasn’t able to accomodate the growing population

Question 11

What was the reapportionment act of 1929?

Answer 11

It discussed the following:

1. The permanent size of the House is 435 members. It is permanent as long as Congress decides not to cange it.
2. After each state, the Census Bureau should determine the number of seats each state should have
3. Congress must approve the Bureau’s plan
4. If within 60 days of recieving it, neither house reject’s the Bureau’s plan, then it goes into action

Question 12

When are congressional elections held?

Answer 12

On the same day in every state. It is usually held ono the Tuesday following the first monday in November of each even numbered year

Question 13

What are off-year elections?

Answer 13

The elections that occur during non-presidential election years

Question 14

What usually happens in off year elections?

Answer 14

The party that holds the presidency looses seats in the off-year elections

Question 15

How many districts are there within the 43 states that have more than one representative

Answer 15

428

Question 16

Does the constitution make any mention of congressional districts?

Answer 16

NO

Question 17

For more than half a century, what did congress allow the states to do in terms of Congressional districts?

Answer 17

Congress allowed each state to decide whether to elect its members by a general ticket system or on a single member district basis

Question 18

What is a single member district system?

Answer 18

The voters in each district elect one of the State’s representatives from among a field of candidates running for a seat in the House from that district

Question 19

What happened under the general ticket system>

Answer 19

All of the state’s seats were filled at large: elected from the state as a whole rather than from a particular district.

Question 20

When were at large elections (general) done away with? What was the problem with them?

Answer 20

They were done away with in 1842 because they proved to be very unfair

Question 21

the 1842 law also recommended/mandated what?

Answer 21

That each state legislature was responsible for drawing any congressional districts within it’s own state. It recommended that each state had an equal amount of residents in each of the districts

Question 22

What is Gerrymandering?

Answer 22

When congressional districts have been drawn to the advantage of the political party that is controlling the state’s legislature

Question 23

How does ‘gerrymandering’ occur (what are the two forms?)

Answer 23

1. Concentrate the opposition’s voters in one or a few districts, thus leaving the other dirstricts comfortably safe for the dominant party
2. To spread the opposition as thinly as possible among several districts, limiting the opposition’s ability to win anything

Question 24

Why are only a handful of seats in the house at risk in the election?

Answer 24

Because of Gerry mandering

Question 25

Wesberry v. Sanders:

Answer 25

The supreme court held tha thte constitution demandes the states to draw congressional districts of substantially equal populations

Question 26

Gerrymandering based solely on race is a violation of what Amendment? Also, what courtcase proved this?

Answer 26

Gormillon v. Lightfoot. and the 15th Amendment

Question 27

What are the qualifications one must have to be in the house of representatives?

Answer 27

1. Be at least 25 years of age
2. Have been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years
3. Be an inhabitant of the state from which he or she is elected

Custom requires that a representative must live in the district he or she represents

Question 28

The House is ‘judge of elections’ what does that mean?

Answer 28

It means that the house has a right to refuse a seat to a member elect, and kick out disorderly members

Question 29

What are some informal characteristics?

Answer 29

2. Identification, Name familiarity, gender, ethnic characteristics

Question 30

Being the incumbent in the house, how much of a chance do you have to win the election?

Answer 30

90% of incumbents are re-elected