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Bicameral legislature: Made up of two houses

Sessions: Meetings

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president can call Congress back for a special session

  1. Congress remains in session until its members vote to adjourn
  2. Needs approval from other house to adjourn for more than 3 days

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  1. House has 435 members
  2. Representatives: At least 25 years old
  3. Be a citizen of U.S. for at least seven years
  4. Legal resident of the of the state that elects them
  5. Serve a two year term
  6. Special elections held if someone resigns or dies in office

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Reapportionment: Determines the number of representatives it will have for the next ten years based on a states’ population

census: population count, every ten years

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Redistricting: process of setting up new district lines after reapportionment has been completed

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Legislature abused redistricting power two ways

1. Creating congressional districts of very unequal populations

2. Gerrymandering

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Reynolds v Sims

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Gerrymandering: drawing district boundaries to give one party an electoral advantage

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Packing a district: drawing the lines so they include as many of the opposing party’s voters as possible

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Cracking: dividing an opponent's voters into other districts to weaken their opponent’s support base

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  1. Senators: 30 years old
  2. Citizen of the U.S. 9 years
  3. Legal resident of the state they represent

All voters of each state elect senators “at-large”: statewide

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  1. Senate and the House members make 174,000 a year
  2. Stationary, postage for official business (“Franklin Privilege”)
  3. Medical clinic
  4. Gymnasium
  5. Allowance

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Censure: vote of formal disapproval of a member’s actions can be used for minor offenses

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Congress 535 voting members: 100 senators and 435 representatives

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1 resident from Puerto Rico (can do everything but vote)

4 delegates: 1 from District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa and Virgin Islands

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Incumbents: members who were already in office, won 90% of elections from 1945-90

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Campaigns have changed over time from touring to radio to television and now campaigning online

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