Members of the House must be citizens of the United States, at least 25 years of age, and reside in the state which they represent. They are elected for a term of two years. Elections alternately coincide with the presidential election; when they do not, they are called mid-term elections.

Since 1912, the House has had 435 seats which are apportioned among the fifty states by population, as determined by a decennial census. Members are elected from districts through a first past the post method. Consequently, disputes over the boundaries of the districts, which must be redrawn after each census, can be particularly contentious.