5. The Bicameral Congress

The House of Representatives

Powers

The House of Representatives' power is established in Article I of the United States Constitution. The House's major power is to pass federal legislation (affecting the whole country), although its bills must also be passed by the senate and agreed to by the President before they can become law. The House has some exclusive powers such as the power to initiate revenue bills regarding matters of tax or to impeach an official such as the president (accuse them of unlawful conduct for which they will be tried in the senate, though this is extremely rare). The House will also elect the U.S. President if there is no majority in the electoral college. Finally, representatives in the House are supposed to represent the interests of the people from their congressional district who voted them into office, giving them a voice in government.

Format

Each U.S. State is represented in the House in proportion to its population as measured in the census, though every state is entitled to at least one representative. This is known as proportional representation. California, the most populous state, currently has 53 representatives while Alaska, Montana, Vermont, Delaware, North & South Dakota and Wyoming have a single representative. Overall, there are 435 representatives, as is fixed under law. The Constitution gives the House the power to expel a member with a two-thirds majority vote.

Appointment

In order to to be eligible to be elected to the House, you must be 25 years old, a U.S. Citizen for 7 years and a legal resident of the state you hope to represent.

Each congressional district in each state elects a single representative which is why they are known as single-member districts. The number of districts is determined by the national census which happens every 10 years (meaning that elections in years ending 0 are extremely important), however, for states with a small population (Wyoming, Montana etc.) it is as though the state itself is one congressional district, as they only have a single representative due to their tiny population. Representatives are elected directly by the voters in that region, although the regulations of polling and registration are largely up to the individual states (subject to some federal election law). The way in which candidates are selected for the congressional elections differ from state to state, though usually, they are put forward by the Republican or Democrat parties in that state.

Representatives serve 2 year terms with elections being held in every even-numbered year, on election day (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November). The election that falls in between each general election is known as the mid-term election. Elections for representatives are held every 2 years to ensure that representatives are responsive to the changing opinions and interests of voters in their districts. Representatives may serve unlimited terms in office, and political scientists state that incumbent representatives hold a significant advantage over new candidates when it comes to the congressional elections. This is known as the incumbency advantage and exists due to their record to run on which they can use to demonstrate their legislative accomplishments (though this does not always influence voters greatly). Congressional hopefuls may also try to gain votes by promising jobs; for example, they may promise that they will vote in congress for programmes/projects which create jobs in their state/congressional district. The U.S. constitution also affords one structural advantage to incumbent congressmen which is that they are given $100,000 in free postage to send out election materials (it has been argued by political scientists that this is less of a benefit in the internet era). 

The Senate

Powers

Like the House of Representatives, the senate must also vote to pass a bill by a two-thirds majority before it may become law. However, also like the House of Representatives, the Senate holds some exclusive powers, as are determined by the constitution. These include the responsibility to hold impeachment trials should the House of Representatives choose to impeach an official in office, the ability to ratify treaties by a two-thirds majority and confirmation powers: the responsibility to vote to confirm the appointment of executive officers that require senate confirmation (these are usually appointed by the president, thus giving the senate a means to check the power of the president by rejecting their proposed ministers). 

Format

Regardless of population, each state is represented by 2 senators meaning that overall, there are 100 U.S. Senators. Generally, the Senate is considered to be more prestigious than the House of Representatives due to its longer terms, smaller size and more distant relation with the public.The senate is lead by the Vice-President of the United States (2^nd highest position in the executive branch) where they will only vote in the event of the need for a tie-breaking vote.

Appointment

In order to to be eligible to be elected to the Senate, you must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. Citizen for 9 years and a legal resident of the state you hope to represent. Originally, senators were selected by state legislatures but public election for senators became standardised in 1913. As with the elections for the House of Representatives, polling regulations and voter registration are up to the states themselves (subject to some federal election law). The way in which candidates are selected for the congressional elections differ from state to state, though usually, they are put forward by the Republican or Democrat parties in that state.

Two senators are elected by their state as a whole and they serve 6 year terms, though the terms are staggered so that approximately one third of the seats are up for election every 2 years, on election day. This election is usually preceded by a primary election within which the final candidates are determined. Like the representatives, senators may serve unlimited terms in office with incumbent senators also experiencing an advantage when it comes to re-election. Like the representatives, they too are afforded money for free postage.