The document discusses the history and process of electing members of Congress in the United States. It outlines how the British parliamentary system and Articles of Confederation influenced the creation of Congress, and describes the compromises that led to the establishment of the bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives and Senate. The summary also provides basic facts about qualifications, elections, and terms for members of each congressional body.

1. Electing a Congress:
Process and History

2. How did this institution
come to be? - Influences
O British Parliament
O too powerful
O Article of Confederation
O our first Constitution – too weak
O Shays Rebellion

3. How did this institution
come to be? - Proposals
O Virginia Plan
O New Jersey Plan
O Compromise, Compromise, Compromise
O Connecticut Plan
O 3/5 Compromise

4. The Congress is Created
O The House of Representatives – “The
People’s House”
O The Senate

5. History of the House and
Senate
O Brooks/Sumner

6. Basic Facts on Congress to
O 2 Houses (bicameral)
start . . .
O House of Representatives
O Qualifications
O 25 years old, citizenship for seven years, residency in state
O Size
O 435 members (2 year terms)
O Number of representatives from a state based on population
O Determined by Congress (435 since 1911)
O Elections
O Directly elected
O Smaller districts (than Senate)
O Revenue bills (taxes) originate in the House
O Terms
O Entire body elected every two years
O Term limits passed by some states but declared
unconstitutional by Supreme Court (1995)

7. Basic Facts on Congress
(cont.)
O 2 Houses (bicameral)
O Senate
O Qualifications
O 30 years old, citizenship for nine years, residency in
state
O Size
O 100, since smaller less need for strict rules like in
House
O Elections
O Originally indirectly elected
O Larger area to represent
O Terms
O 6 years
O Only 1/3 of Senate reelected every two years
O No term limits

8. Powers of Congress
O Enumerated/Expressed/Delegated Powers
O See Article 1, Section 8
O Commerce clause – tested frequently in courts
due to broad interpretation by Congress
O Implied Powers
O Based on elastic clause/necessary and proper
clause
O Examples of implied powers: paper money, air
force, CIA

9. O Institutional Powers
O Senate ratifies treaties (2/3 vote)
O Senate approves presidential appointments
(maj. Vote)
O House votes for impeachment (majority vote),
Senate tries impeachment (2/3 vote to convict)
O House elects President if no electoral majority,
Senate elects v.p.
O Proposal of constitutional amendments (2/3
vote in both houses)
O Can seat, unseat and punish own members
(unusual)

10. How does Congress do its work?
. . . The Power of Committees
O Overview
O Real work of Congress in committees and
subcommittees
O Committee Functions
O Handle legislation
O conduct investigations of executive (as needed)
O conduct oversight of executive (on-going)
O Committee Leadership
O The party in power chairs all committees and
subcommittees

11. Obviously this is an
important job. . .
So how do you get this job?

12. Incumbency Advantage –
“The Permanent Congress”
O Incumbent
O Office holders
O Advantages of incumbency
O Franking privilege
O Staffers
O Name recognition
O Casework
O Money (esp. from PACs)
O Pork barrel
O Gerrymandering (House)

13. O Gerrymandering
O Reapportionment
O Census every 10 years determines population and number of
seats in a state can change
O If number of seats change then district boundaries change =
redistricting and is carried out by party in power in state
legislature
O Gerrymandering = form of redistricting where boundaries are
redrawn to favor the party in power
O Packing – drawing district lines to concentrate opposing party in
a few districts
O Cracking – drawing lines to disperse opposing party throughout
the state
O Effects
O Party in power stays in power
O Safe seats created for incumbents, makes more difficult for
challengers
O Strangely shaped districts

14. Illinois 4th Congressional
District

15. O Redistricting requirements
O Districts must be near equal in population
O Baker v. Carr (1962) – established
“one man, one vote” to state legislative
districts to correct overrepresentation
(malapportionment) of rural areas
O Wesberry v. Sanders (1964) – applied
same principle to U.S. House districts
O District lines must be contiguous
O Racial gerrymandering is prohibited
(Shaw v. Reno, 1993), Race cannot by the
primary factor in drawing district lines
(Miller v. Johnson, 1995)

16. Washington State Congressional
Map (pre-2010 census)

17. Washington State Congressional
Map (beginning in 2012)

19. Congressional Races to
Watch this Year
O Sherrod Brown (Ohio)
O Bob Casey (Penn)
O Bill Nelson (Florida)
O Claire McCaskill (Missouri)
O John Kyl (Arizona)
O Joe Lieberman (CT)
O Olympia Snowe (Maine)
O Scott Brown (MA)