Join the Maryland Connection and Social Action Committee for a Candidate Forum to learn more about the candidates running to represent Maryland in the U.S. Congress!

This FREE event will give you an opportunity to ask questions so you can make an informed decision at the polls in July and cast your vote for candidates for one of the U.S. Senate seats and for all eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Why Should You Care?

The U.S. Senate has two important and specific duties. Senators are empowered to conduct impeachment proceedings of high federal officials, are tasked with exercising the power of advice and consent on treaties and play an important role in the confirmation (or denial) of certain appointments including ambassadors and judicial court justices.

Senators are elected to six-year terms. A senator generally carries more power than the average individual member of the House because a senator represents an entire state while a House member represents only one district within a state. Also because there are fewer of them, senators carry a larger megaphone to bring attention to a particular issue. The day-to-day activities of a senator are not entirely different from a House representative. They spend their days meeting with constituents, discussing policy issues in committee meetings and making public appearances to convey their message to the public. The House of Representatives passes legislation more frequently than the more deliberative Senate, so senators spend less time voting on the Senate floor and more time negotiating compromises before a bill reaches the Senate floor for a vote.

U.S. House of Representatives

As per the Constitution, the U.S. House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws. Also referred to as a congressman or congresswoman, each representative is elected to a two-year term serving the people of a specific congressional district. Among other duties, representatives introduce bills and resolutions, offer amendments and serve on committees. The number of representatives with full voting rights is 435, the number of representatives per state is proportionate to the state’s population.

To be elected, a representative must be at least 25 years old, a United States citizen for at least seven years, and an inhabitant of the state he or she represents.