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Why is it that Senators are elected to 6 year terms (With 1/3 elected every 2 years), but House of Reps members (Representatives?) are elected every second year?
Also, my understanding is that each state has the same amount of Senators so that each state is represented evenly in Congress yet The House of Reps is made up of a proportional number of members to the population, so that the people are represented evenly in Congress, is this true?
J
This arrangement is a result of the Connecticut Compromise. Large states wanted proportional representation, small states wanted equal representation.
The Senate gets 6 year terms do they will take a longer view of issues and not be so easily swayed by current public opinion. The House gets 2 year terms so they can be responsive to changing opinions more rapidly.
Ah ok, thanks for that, it seems so obvious yet i just couldn't put it all together.
J
De nada. This is what I teach. Fascinating debates about it at the Constitutional Convention. "What's in it for me?" has been the political question since Time began. :D
When the Australian colonies faced the same question as the American colonies, about 110 years later in the 1890s, they came up with pretty much the same solution: equal representation for the states in the Senate, with staggered terms for senators, and proportionate representation for population in the House of Representatives. So it's not that odd a solution.