FAQ
How long are terms of office?
Representatives serve two-year terms, all 435 seats up every even year. Senators serve staggered six-year terms, with about a third of the chamber elected every two years. There are no term limits for either chamber.
What is the difference between the House and the Senate?
The House has 435 members apportioned by state population, with 25 the minimum age and seven years of citizenship required. The Senate has 100 members, two per state, minimum age 30 and nine years a citizen. The House originates revenue bills and impeaches; the Senate tries impeachments, confirms nominees, and ratifies treaties.
What does a whip do?
Whips count votes before they happen, persuade undecided members to support the party position, relay leadership priorities, and manage floor attendance. Each party in each chamber has a whip team. The role emerged early in the twentieth century and is now central to scheduling and passing legislation.
What is cloture?
Cloture is the Senate procedure that ends debate on a measure. Adopted in 1917 after filibusters stalled wartime legislation, it now requires 60 votes, three fifths of the Senate, and limits further debate to 30 hours. Invoking cloture is the only way to break a filibuster short of unanimous consent.
How can Congress override a veto?
If the president vetoes a bill, Congress can enact it anyway with a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. Overrides are historically rare, succeeding roughly seven percent of the time, and become likelier when the veto crosses party lines or public opinion.
How do the census and reapportionment work?
The Constitution requires a population count every ten years. The resulting totals are used to redistribute the 435 House seats among the states, a process called reapportionment. States then redraw their congressional districts, which states must keep equal in population under Supreme Court precedent from the 1960s.