Week 2 Flashcards
How old must a member of the House be?
25
Who is the most powerful member of the House?
Speaker of the House
There are 20 of these permanent committees:
Standing Committees
What is gerrymandering?
Drawing congressional district boundaries for a political advantage
What does a party whip do?
Encourages party members to vote as the party leadership wants
Why are join committees formed?
Bring members from the House and Senate together to discuss common issues
Where is party leadership elected?
A party caucus
What are proposed laws called?
Bills
Who manages the actions and strategies of each party?
Floor leaders
What is reapportionment?
Using the results of the census to redistribute the House seats among the states
What are two qualifications for house members according to the Constitution (besides age)
U.S. citizen for 7+ years and resident of the state they represent
Approx. how many constituents does each representative have?
690k
What is required to expel a sitting house member?
A 2/3 majority vote
What are the two main factors in how gerrymandered district lines are drawn?
The majority party draws lines to their own political advantage and these lines are used to cluster demographic areas that tend to vote with a certain party
Explain what the case Wesberry v. Sanders focused on:
It expressed that there was a contrast in the number of voters in each district which devalued some peoples vote and is unconstitutional
