<P> Under Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, seats in the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states by population, as determined by the census conducted every ten years . Each state is entitled to at least one Representative, however small its population . </P> <P> The only constitutional rule relating to the size of the House states: "The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative ." Congress regularly increased the size of the House to account for population growth until it fixed the number of voting House members at 435 in 1911 . In 1959, upon the admission of Alaska and Hawaii, the number was temporarily increased to 437 (seating one Representative from each of those states without changing existing apportionment), and returned to 435 four years later, after the reapportionment consequent to the 1960 census . </P> <P> The Constitution does not provide for the representation of the District of Columbia or of territories . The District of Columbia and the territories of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are each represented by one non-voting delegate . Puerto Rico elects a Resident Commissioner, but other than having a four - year term, the Resident Commissioner's role is identical to the delegates from the other territories . The five Delegates and Resident Commissioner may participate in debates; prior to 2011, they were also allowed to vote in committees and the Committee of the Whole when their votes would not be decisive . </P> <P> States that are entitled to more than one Representative are divided into single - member districts . This has been a federal statutory requirement since 1967 . Prior to that law, general ticket representation was used by some states . </P>

What is the term of office of a representative