The U.S. state of Utah is divided into four congressional districts for representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
October 08, 2025
high
baseline
Number of U.S. House districts apportioned to Utah
There is an established tradition and a formal process for administering the oath of office to members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
October 08, 2025
high
procedural
Refers to the procedural norms for swearing in elected members of the House.
The U.S. House of Representatives must be in session to swear in a newly elected member.
October 08, 2025
high
procedural
Swearing-in of members is a formal, in-session House procedure required for newly elected representatives to assume their duties.
Pro forma sessions of the U.S. House of Representatives are brief meetings during which no substantive legislative business is conducted and typically include only a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
October 08, 2025
high
procedural
Pro forma sessions are used to convene the House briefly without allowing for floor business such as votes or swearing-in ceremonies.
Federal government shutdowns can result in parts of Congress not being in regular session, which can limit congressional actions such as swearing in members and holding votes on appropriations.
October 08, 2025
high
procedural
When the federal government is shut down, congressional scheduling and the ability to conduct certain types of business can be constrained.
A congressional conference committee is the formal mechanism by which the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate reconcile differences between their versions of a bill.
October 08, 2025
high
procedural
Standard legislative process for resolving House-Senate disagreements on legislation.
An individual appropriations bill that has already been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives can be brought to the U.S. Senate floor for consideration.
October 08, 2025
high
procedural
Procedure for Senate consideration of House-passed appropriations measures.
A discharge petition in the U.S. House of Representatives requires 218 signatures to force a floor vote on a measure.
October 07, 2025
high
procedural
House procedural rule for bringing measures to the floor without leadership support.
The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives controls the House's schedule and can extend or call recesses.
October 07, 2025
high
procedural
The Speaker sets the legislative calendar and determines when the chamber is in or out of session.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives can be sworn into office while the House is in recess.
October 07, 2025
high
procedural
Swearing-in of newly elected or appointed representatives can occur even when the chamber is not holding legislative sessions.
Special elections are used to fill vacant U.S. House of Representatives seats when a member resigns or dies.
October 07, 2025
high
procedural
General rule governing how vacancies in the U.S. House are filled.
Daniel (Dan) Goldman is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York.
October 06, 2025
high
position
Elected federal legislative representation by state and party affiliation.
California is allocated 52 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
State-level allocation of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
As of 2025, the Democratic Party held 43 of California's 52 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Baseline partisan distribution of California's congressional delegation in 2025.
Redistricting outcomes can change the partisan balance of U.S. House seats and thereby influence which political party controls the U.S. House of Representatives.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Impact of redistricting on national partisan control of the House.
Mike Johnson was serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives as of 2025-10-05.
October 05, 2025
high
temporal
Presiding officer and administrative head of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Suburban areas surrounding New York City were cited as influential to Republican performance in U.S. House elections in 2022 and 2024.
November 05, 2024
medium
temporal
Observation about electoral geography and its impact on Republican House results in the 2022 and 2024 election cycles.
In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, 13 congressional districts voted for Donald Trump for president while electing a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives.
November 05, 2024
high
temporal
National-level split-ticket outcomes observed in the 2024 presidential and House elections.
Abigail Spanberger was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm election.
November 06, 2018
high
temporal
Spanberger began her congressional service following the 2018 midterm elections.
The 2018 U.S. midterm elections resulted in the Democratic Party flipping control of the U.S. House of Representatives and gaining 40 seats.
November 06, 2018
high
temporal
The 2018 midterm cycle is commonly described as a significant Democratic gain in the House.
Democratic candidates won control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections.
November 06, 2018
high
temporal
Outcome of the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.
Jared Golden is a U.S. Marine veteran who served combat tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
January 01, 2018
high
biographical
Biographical and electoral background for a U.S. Representative.
Most members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have an annual base salary of $174,000, a figure that was last changed in 2009.
January 01, 2009
high
temporal
Baseline congressional compensation for rank-and-file members
State governments have the authority to redraw U.S. congressional district maps, and redrawn maps can change the partisan composition of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
high
structural
Redistricting determines district boundaries and can alter which party is favored in given districts.
Partisan control of state legislatures and governorships is commonly used as a mechanism to pursue redistricting strategies intended to increase a party's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
high
process
Political parties in power at the state level can influence map-drawing to affect federal representation.
Wesley Hunt is one of the first Black Republicans to represent the state of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
high
biographical
Biographical detail about a U.S. politician relevant to representation and diversity in Congress.
Eugene (Yevgeny) Vindman is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia and is the twin brother of Alexander Vindman.
high
biographical
Describes familial relationship and elected office held.
Abigail Spanberger is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia.
high
biographical
Biographical background of a political candidate.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, a member-elect cannot perform official duties or represent their district in Congress until they have been officially sworn into office.
high
procedural
Describes the constitutional/House practice that members must take the oath before exercising congressional duties.
The U.S. House of Representatives holds pro-forma sessions during which procedural actions, such as administering the oath to a member-elect, can take place.
high
procedural
Pro-forma sessions are brief meetings of the House intended to fulfill constitutional or procedural requirements while the House is otherwise not conducting regular legislative business.
In U.S. federal practice, special elections are used to fill vacant U.S. House of Representatives seats when a sitting representative resigns or dies.
high
temporal
General procedural rule for filling vacancies in the U.S. House.