Midterms 2026Answers · Midterms
How are the 435 House seats divided between the states?
House seats are divided by population, and the count is redone after every 10-year census. Each state gets at least one seat, and the rest are shared out so that bigger states get more. The total stays fixed at 435.
The process, step by step
Here's how it works in plain terms:
- The census. Every 10 years the country counts its people. The next one after 2020 is in 2030
- Each state gets one seat. The Constitution guarantees at least one representative per state
- The remaining seats are assigned by formula. Since the 1940s the method is called "equal proportions," which ranks states by a priority number based on population
- The result goes to the states. Each state then draws its own district lines, with each district about the same size
You don't need to follow the math to get the idea. States that grew faster gain seats and slower ones lose them. That's why the map of power shifts over time.
Why 435 and not more
The House used to grow after each census. After the 1910 census it reached 435, and in 1929 Congress passed the Permanent Apportionment Act, which fixed the total. So when one state gains a seat, another has to lose one.
I think this is the most debated part. A bigger House would mean smaller districts, but it would also mean a bigger body and more cost. People disagree about whether 435 is still right, and changing it only requires an ordinary law, not an amendment.
What a seat represents
With a fixed 435, each district represents several hundred thousand people on average, and the number grows as the population grows. The Supreme Court has also held that districts within a state must be about equal in population. So a representative in one district speaks for roughly the same number of people as one in another district of the same state.
Between states, the sizes differ a bit because of the one-seat minimum. A small state's single district can be smaller than the average of a large state's.
What about the Senate and DC
The Senate doesn't work this way. Every state has two senators no matter how big it is. DC and the territories have non-voting delegates in the House and no voting representation in the Senate.
How it ties in with the game
I built Midterms 2026 as a free iPhone game that counts all 435 House seats on election night. Bigger states are worth more of those seats, so choosing where to open offices and hold rallies is a real tradeoff. Spending on a state with many seats can swing the projection further than one with just a few, though it's usually also more expensive to contest. The parties and characters are fictional.