The House of Representatives: Districts, Elections, and Every 2026 House Race

The lower chamber of Congress has 435 voting members, each representing a single congressional district apportioned among the 50 states by population. Five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia also send non-voting delegates. The body is established by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution.

The chamber shares legislative authority with the Senate — both must pass identical text before a bill can be sent to the President. Beyond that shared authority, this body has two unique constitutional roles: every revenue bill must originate here, and the House alone has the power of impeachment (the Senate then conducts any trial).

The total of 435 voting seats was fixed by statute in 1929. Districts are redrawn after each decennial census to reflect population shifts; the current map reflects the 2020 census and will be used for the 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections before the next reapportionment.

Members serve two-year terms, and all 435 seats stand for election together every two years. The next general election is in November 2026; every district has a contest on the ballot, whether the incumbent is running for re-election or the seat is open.

The Constitution requires representatives to be at least 25 years old, U.S. citizens for at least seven years, and residents of the state they represent (not the district, though most candidates live in their district). Vacancies between general elections are filled by special elections called by the governor of the affected state.

Most general elections for the chamber are decided by plurality. A handful of states (notably Maine and Alaska) use ranked-choice voting for these races. Primary structure varies state to state — closed, open, top-two, and jungle-primary systems all coexist across the 50 states.

The chamber today is narrowly held by the Republican Party, with the Democratic Party in the minority. Composition figures shift as the Office of the Clerk records new members from special elections; the live total is published at clerk.house.gov.

Because every seat is on the ballot in 2026, the chamber's majority is in play in every cycle. The Candidate tracks every FEC-filed challenger and incumbent for the 2026 cycle — find your district, compare candidates side-by-side, and read where each one stands on the 15 issues we track.