The Senate
Two senators per state, six-year terms. 10 questions, each answer with its official source.
Test Yourself FirstHow many senators are there?
100, two from each state
Article I, Section 3 and the Seventeenth Amendment give each state two senators, whatever its population.
How long is a Senate term?
Six years
Article I, Section 3 gives senators six-year terms.
How much of the Senate is up for election every two years?
About one-third
Article I, Section 3 divides senators into three classes, so roughly a third of the seats are elected every second year. This staggering keeps the chamber continuous.
What is the minimum age to serve in the Senate?
30
Article I, Section 3 requires a senator to be at least 30, a citizen for nine years and an inhabitant of the state they represent.
Since 1913, how are senators chosen?
Directly by the voters of each state
The Seventeenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, moved the election of senators from state legislatures to the people.
Who is the president of the Senate under the Constitution?
The vice president
Article I, Section 3 makes the vice president the president of the Senate.
When can the vice president vote in the Senate?
Only to break a tie
Article I, Section 3 says the vice president has no vote unless the senators are equally divided. A 50-50 tie can be broken this way.
Who presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent?
The president pro tempore
Article I, Section 3 lets the Senate choose a president pro tempore. By custom it is usually the most senior senator of the majority party, and other senators often take turns in the chair.
How can a Senate vacancy be filled before a special election?
The governor can make a temporary appointment if state law allows
The Seventeenth Amendment lets a state legislature empower the governor to make a temporary appointment until the people fill the seat by election.
Can a constitutional amendment take away a state's equal vote in the Senate?
Not without that state's consent
Article V says no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
Other Topics
- How Congress WorksHow a Bill Becomes LawFrom introduction to the president's desk
- How Congress WorksThe House435 voting members, elected every two years
- How Congress WorksCommitteesWhere most bills are studied, amended or left to wait
- How Congress WorksFloor Votes and Roll CallsHow members vote and how votes are recorded
- How Congress WorksThe Filibuster and ClotureExtended debate in the Senate and how to end it
- How Congress WorksVetoes and OverridesThe president's no, and how Congress can overcome it
- How Congress WorksThe Budget and AppropriationsHow Congress decides what the government can spend
- How Congress WorksImpeachmentHow Congress can charge and remove federal officials
- How Congress WorksTreaties and NominationsThe Senate's advice and consent