For more than two centuries, the U.S. House of Representatives has carefully crafted rules and procedures to help it function as the legislative body that the Founders envisioned—“the People’s House.” Some practices are rooted in the U.S. Constitution; others are traditions adopted to meet the changing needs of the nation and the institution. Learn about the House’s role, powers, and development by exploring essays, Congress-by-Congress summaries, and profiles about the House’s unique culture.
Since 1920, the Clerk of the House has compiled and published the official vote counts for federal elections from the official sources among the various states and territories.
Total Members of the House & State Representation
View a chart providing historical totals of House Membership, including dates that territories entered the Union.
View a chart of House political party divisions since 1789.
View a list of House vacancies and successors from the 105th through the 112th Congresses (1999–2015).
View a chart with the dates the House has been in session, from 1789 to the present.
View a chart with the dates the House has been in session from, 1789 to the present.
Established in Article II, Section 1, of the U.S. Constitution, the Electoral College is the formal body which elects the President and Vice President of the United States. Learn about the procedure and a few historic facts about this process.
View a chart of the 44 U.S. Presidents and Vice President terms with their corresponding Congresses.
View a chart of the Presidents of the United States and the number of veto messages each issued.