The House of Representatives and District Politics
The House of Representatives has 435 members distributed based on state populations. To serve in the House, you need to be at least 25 years old, a U.S. citizen for 7+ years, and a resident of your state. Representatives serve shorter terms (2 years) than senators, making them more directly accountable to voters.
Every 10 years, the national census counts the population, triggering reapportionment - the process of redistributing House seats based on population changes. States that gain population may gain representatives, while states losing population might lose seats.
During redistricting, some politicians engage in gerrymandering - deliberately drawing district boundaries to favor their party. They use two main strategies: "packing" (concentrating opposition voters in few districts) or "cracking" (spreading opposition voters thinly across many districts).
⚠️ Gerrymandering creates more extreme representatives because candidates focus on winning primaries rather than appealing to moderate voters. This pushes politicians away from compromise and toward partisan extremes, making it harder for Congress to function effectively.