What Is a Special Election?
What a special election is: when a House or Senate seat becomes vacant, how House vacancies are filled by a special election, and how Senate seats differ.
Guides
These guides explain how U.S. congressional districts, the House and Senate, redistricting, and elections work, in plain language. Start here for the background behind the numbers on this site. To find your own district and representative, use the lookup on the home page.
Congressional Committees Explained
How congressional committees work: what they do, standing versus other committees, how bills move through them, and why a committee seat matters.
What Is the Filibuster?
What the filibuster is: how extended debate works in the Senate, the 60-vote threshold to end it, and why it shapes which bills pass.
What Does a U.S. Senator Do?
What a U.S. Senator does: writing and voting on laws, confirming appointments and treaties, committee work, statewide representation, and the six-year term.
How to Find Your U.S. Senators
Every state has two U.S. senators elected statewide. Learn how senators differ from your House member and how to look up your state’s senators.
What Is a Swing District?
What makes a district a swing district, how it differs from a safe seat, why these races draw attention, and how redistricting changes competitiveness.
How Long Is a Congressional Term, and When Are Elections?
How long House and Senate terms last, when congressional elections are held, what midterms and primaries are, and how vacant seats get filled.
How a Bill Becomes Law
The steps a bill takes to become law: introduction, committee review, floor votes in the House and Senate, reconciling versions, and the President’s sign-off.
House vs Senate: What’s the Difference?
How the House and Senate compare: 435 members versus 100, district versus statewide seats, two-year versus six-year terms, and what each does.
What Does a U.S. Representative Do?
A plain guide to the job of a U.S. Representative: writing and voting on laws, committee work, helping constituents, and the two-year term.