Virginia House of Delegates
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The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the House members by the Delegates. The Speaker is usually a member of the majority party and, as Speaker, becomes the most powerful member of the House. The House shares legislative power with the Senate, the upper house of the General Assembly. The House of Delegates is the modern-day successor to the colonial House of Burgesses, which first met at Jamestown in 1619. It is the oldest continuous English-speaking representative legislative assembly in the Americas. The House is divided into Democratic and Republican caucuses. In addition to the Speaker, there is a majority leader, a majority whip, a majority caucus chair, a minority leader, a minority whip, a minority caucus chair, and the chairs of the several committees of the House. Only Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.