You know
that in a representative democracy the people have a voice in the making
of their laws. Voters in our country elect people to represent and to
serve as their voice in the law making process. Laws are made by the men
and women who are elected to Congress by the voters of each state.
Congress is
made up of two houses, just the way most of the state legislatures are
made up. The upper house is called the Senate, and the lower house is
called the House of Representatives. Men and women who belong to the
House of Representatives are called representatives. They may also be
called congressmen or congresswomen.
The number of
senators in Congress is spelled out in the Constitution. Under the Constitution,
each state has two senators. However, the number of representatives
a state has depends on the population of the state. Every state must
have at least one representative though. Law now sets the total number
of representatives at 435. This means that as the population changes
in a state, so does the number of representatives that state is allowed
to have. But the total must not change! Therefore, as some states gain
representatives, other states may lose representatives.
Each of the
fifty states elects two men or women to the Senate of the United States.
These senators stay in office for six years. Then they must try to get
elected again if they want to stay in the Senate.
The number of
representatives a state sends to the House of Representatives depends
on how many people live in the state. Representatives stay in office
for only two years. If they want to stay in the House of Representatives,
they must run for reelection every two years.
Congress meets
in Washington D.C., the capital city of the United States. "D.C." stands
for the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is not a state.
It is not in a state, either. It is a district which acts like a combination
of a city and state. The District of Columbia is a unique area where
national government business is conducted.
