Bicameral Structure of the United States Congress

The United States Congress is bicameral, meaning that it has two legislative chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Representation follows two different principles: the House distributes seats among states according to population, while the Senate gives every state equal representation.

House of Representatives: population-based representation

The House represents the people through seats apportioned among the states according to their respective populations. More populous states therefore generally have more representatives than less populous states.

• The House has 435 voting members, with every state guaranteed at least one representative, irrespective of its population.
• Seats are reapportioned among states following the decennial census, so changes in states' relative populations can alter their shares without changing the total number of voting seats.
• Within each state, representatives are elected from congressional districts, each returning one member; apportionment among states is distinct from drawing district boundaries within a state.
• Representatives serve two-year terms, and the entire House is elected every two years.

Senate: equal representation of states

The Senate represents the constituent states on an equal basis. Each state elects two senators, regardless of its population, geographical area or number of representatives in the House.

• With 50 states, the Senate has 100 members; populous and sparsely populated states have the same numerical representation.
• Senators are directly elected by voters across the state, rather than from separate congressional districts.
• Senators serve six-year terms, with approximately one-third of the Senate elected every two years; the chamber therefore has continuing membership rather than being wholly renewed at once.

Federal logic and comparison with India

This arrangement combines representation by population with equality of states. It allows population differences to shape the House while protecting smaller states from numerical domination in the Senate.

• Equal Senate representation gives less populous states greater representation per resident than more populous states.
• India does not follow the American rule of equal state representation in its upper chamber: the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution allocates different numbers of Rajya Sabha seats to different states.