Chapter 10 Flashcards
Who was the Ohio Republican U.S. Senate?
J.D. Vance
Who was the Representative in U.S. House?
Bob Latta
Who was the Ohio Democrat in U.S. Senate?
Sherrod Brown
Who was the State Rep. in General Assembly?
Jon Cross
Who was the State Senator in General Assembly?
Rob McColley
How has gerrymandering affected the number of seats at risk?
Only a handful are up for real contest in election
What is the main goal of gerrymandering?
create as many safe districts as possible
Who has the responsibility for drawing the congression districts in a state?
State Legislature
Who determines the number of congressional seats each state should have?
Census Bureau
how often is a redistribution of seats determined and after what event?
every ten years, census
Before the 17th amendment gave the voters control, who chose the US Senators?
State Legislature
what are the duties of congress?
to legislate, to represent constituents, to serve on committees
How did the 20th amendment affect congressional terms?
moved inauguration from march to January
What are the characteristics of the “Average” congress person?
white male, married, religious affiliation, legal background, went to college.
Legislative branch of the national government
congress
All of the Senate seats are never up for election at the same time
Continuous body
two year congressional assignment
term
representatives who vote using independent judgments
trustee
Distribution of representatives
apportioned
Committee work by congress to check agencies in the executive branch
oversight function
How long is a congressional representative’s term?
2 years
How long is the US Senator’s term?
6 years
Three qualifications to be in the senate
30 years old, live in state, 9 year citizenship
Congressional elections that occur in nonpresidential years
off year elections
Senator from West Virginia elected to 9 terms
Robert Byrd
Representative from Ohio expelled from the House in 2002 from bribery and tax evasion
James Traficant
congress consisting of two houses
bicameral
Congression districts drawn to the advantage of a political party
gerrymandering
people and interests that representative serve
constituencies
When congress does not meet until the next session
adjourn
Representatives who vote the way people at home would like them to
delegate
Congress People that can mail postage free
Franking Privilege
Representatives using many different philosophies
politicos
Why is Congress at the heart of most basic government function of democracy?
because congress makes nation’s laws
How many seats are currently in the house of representatives?
435
What has been the most common outcome of off year elections?
the president’s party decreases its number of seats in congress
When must congressional elections be held?
the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even years
What is not a reason for the constitution established as a bicameral legislature?
many nations have bicameral
period of time during which the congress meets each years
session
representatives who vote with the party’s leaders
partisans
How did the framers settle the conflict between the Virginia and New Jersey plans?
bicameral congress with one part equal and one part based on population
How is the number of seats for each state in the house distributed?
Population
How are gerrymandering lines drawn?
spread opposition thinly in many different districts or concentrated in just a few
How many total people are there in the senate and how is this determined?
100, each state gets 2
How does the speech or debate clause give congresspeople legislative immunity?
Protects them from getting sued (verbally and written)
What are three qualifications of the house of representatives?
25 years old, live in state, 7 years as citizen
