The process of allotting congressional seats to each state according to it proportion of the population, following the decennial censusbilla proposed lawimpeachmentincumbency already holding an officeredistrictingthe process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect increases or decreases in seats allotted to the states, as well as population shifts within a stategerrymanderingthe drawing of congressional districts to produce a particular electoral outcome without regard to the shape of the districtmajority partythe political party in each house of Congress with the most memberminority partythe political party in each house of Congress with the second most membersparty caucus (or conference)a formal gathering of all party membersSpeaker of the Housethe only officer of the House of Representatives specifically mentioned in the Constitution; the chamber's most powerful position; traditionally a member of the majority partymajority leaderthe head of the party controlling the most seats in the House of Representatives or the Senate; is second in authority to the Speaker of the House and in the Senate is regarded as its most powerful memberminority leaderthe head of the party with the second highest number of elected representatives in the House of Representatives or the Senatewhipparty leader who keeps close contact with all members of his or her party, takes vote counts on key legislation, prepares summaries of bills, and acts as a communications link within a partypresident pro temporethe official chair of the Senate; usually the most senior member of the majority groupstanding committeecommittee to which proposed bills are referred; continues from one Congress to the nextjoint committeestanding committee that includes members from both houses of Congress set up to conduct investigati
