Requirements to Be a Representative
The basic requirements for being a representative in the U.S. Congress are outlined in the Constitution, Article I, Section 2. There are age, residency and citizenship requirements that limit the number of people who are eligible to earn one of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Other People Are Reading
-
Age
-
You must be at least 25 years old to run for the House of Representatives. In the event that a congressman is unable to finish his two-year term, each state has guidelines for filling that seat. However, any replacement must meet the age requirement.
Citizenship
-
You must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for election. Being a born in the United States is the easiest way to earn citizenship. However, when the Constitution was written, there were so few native colonists that they also made those who had been a citizen for seven years eligible.
-
Residency
-
If you're running for a House seat in Delaware, you must be a resident of Delaware. Furthermore, each state is divided into districts. If you're a representative of the 1st District of Delaware, you also must be a resident of that district.
Voting
-
A representative is required to run for his seat every two years, whether it's their first run at the House or their 20th. Voting is conducted by district, so if you're running for a seat in the 5th District of California, only residents in that district are allowed to vote in your election.
Drawing the Lines
-
Every 10 years, population counts from the U.S. Census determines the House representation for every state. The 435 members of the House are divided by population, with more populous states receiving more representatives than less populous states. Today, a congressman, on average, represents about 600,000 people in their district.
-
References
Resources
More Like This
Comments
-
need more info.
