US · constitutions
U.S. Const. art. I, § 2
[1] The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
[2] No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
[3] Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
[4] When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.
[5] The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.
History
This text of the Constitution follows the engrossed copy signed by Gen. Washington and the deputies from 12 States. The small superior figures preceding the paragraphs designate clauses, and were not in the original and have no reference to footnotes. Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788. (H. Doc. 110-50, note 1.) Dated by the completion of ratification. The same note records March 4, 1789 as the day fixed for commencing the operations of Government under it. Text as printed in H. Doc. 110-50, THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA As Amended (Government Publishing Office; issued 2007-07-25, GovInfo CDOC-110hdoc50). Clause figures are printed here as [1], [2], … at the start of each clause.
Provenance
- Source
- www.govinfo.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- h-doc-110-50
- Content hash
59ae3e7c562b2f73f235796843a9025ee4d6279f4f0b4480e812c0e45b4ab290
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