Who Has the Most Seats in the House of Representatives

Recommendation 1.1

Essentially enlarge the Firm of Representatives through federal legislation to brand it and the Electoral College more than representative of the nation's population.

Read in the Report

Congressional districts are too large

When the framers of the Constitution designed the House of Representatives, they envisioned it equally the most purely autonomous co-operative of the federal government. But House districts accept grown so big that representatives cannot adequately connect with their massive number of constituents.

For decades, the Business firm of Representatives grew every bit the nation grew, from 65 members in 1790 to 435 in 1913. Then, in 1929, Congress capped the size of the Firm at 435 seats. Since then, the number of constituents represented past each congressperson has expanded significantly. In 1790, each representative had roughly 35,000 constituents. Today, the average member of the House has almost 770,000 people in their district.

This growth has a variety of consequences. Congresspeople are meant to be the co-operative of the federal government closest to the people, but it is hard for Americans to make their voices heard on the issues when they are one of but 770,000. Additionally, many Americans, including retirees, veterans, and small business owners, crave regular assistance from congressional offices, which are already overwhelmed by legislative responsibilities. Many Americans feel disconnected from their representatives, and 1 study found that voters from smaller districts were more than likely to feel their congressperson did a good chore keeping in affect and were more than likely to approve of their representative.

District size also has an effect on who runs for Congress. It is more expensive, on average, to run for function in a big district than a smaller one, which favors incumbents and other well-financed candidates. Adding more seats would create opportunities for a new grade of candidate, which would be more than likely to reflect the nation's full demographic and ideological diverseness.

Additionally, because of the large variance betwixt the population size of different districts, some voters wield asymmetric power in the Electoral College. Enlarging the House would reduce the overrepresentation of small states in presidential election and reduce the possibility that the winner of the popular vote does non also win the election.

Realigning with the founders' vision

Expanding the House of Representatives will bring the makeup of this trunk in line with the founders' vision past making information technology more democratic and more responsive to voters.

Far from a radical reform, enlarging the House is something the Founders imagined would happen on a regular ground. No ramble amendment is required – a mere vote of Congress is all that is needed to give voters a meliorate take chances to meet and interact with their representatives and to take agile part in the democratic process.

Nor would the proposal significantly reward i party over the other. The authors of The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives ran 10,000 simulations of the 2022 election at various Firm sizes: and at no size did either party gain more than a 3 percent advantage in their odds of decision-making the chamber. Many Business firm sizes saw no modify at all. The expansion of the House would also entail the expansion of the Electoral College. The results of presidential elections, as well, would exist unchanged. The consequence of the last 12 presidential elections would be the same at almost feasible Firm sizes, the only exception beingness the highly contested 2000 election.

How many seats should be added?

Our Common Purpose preliminarily suggests the addition of l seats but notes that a "precise number should exist established through vigorous discussion and debate." To that terminate, the American Academy convened a working group of scholars, thought leaders, and old elected officials and congressional staff to investigate proposals to enlarge the House. The working group debated the principles that should undergird a House expansion formula, surveyed extant proposals for House expansion, and discussed the possible outcomes of expansion.

These discussions helped inform a dedicated written report: The Case for Enlarging the House of Representatives.

The Instance for Enlarging the House of Representatives proposes calculation 150 seats, followed past regular expansion. This plan is rooted in the principle that Americans should not regularly lose representation in Congress. Since 1931, 149 seats have been shifted between states, as states regularly lose seats, fifty-fifty when their population is increasing. Because adding 149 seats would consequence in a House with an even number of seats (making tie-breaking hard), nosotros recommend calculation 1 additional seat, for a total of 585. Going forrad, Congress should increase by the number of seats necessary to ensure that states just rarely lose seats, as used to exist the norm. The report also explains numerous other proposals that would likewise entail continuous expansion and would achieve similar benefits.

In order to implement Recommendation 1.1 by 2026, the Commission proposes the post-obit milestones to complete by year-end of:

2020

• Constitute a working group to foster contend and build consensus around a number or methodology for enlarging the House (e.g. determine a formula and the justification)

2022

• Establish hearings in the House and Senate on the issue of enlarging the House

• Establish bipartisan back up for a formula/number by which to increment the size of the Firm

2024

• Introduce legislation in House and Senate with bipartisan sponsorship

2026

• Hold vote that achieves bipartisan support on legislation to expand Business firm in Business firm and/or Senate

Election Reformers Network is nonpartisan 501c(3) founded by election specialists with backgrounds in international democracy support, election monitoring, and U.South. reform campaigns. ERN develops and advocates for tailored institutional reforms, particularly in areas of U.S. republic that tin benefit from a comparative international perspective. ERN has backed winning election initiatives for ranked pick voting and independent redistricting and published widely in support of reforms in areas including the electoral college and mult-member districts for Congress.

New America works towards an open, fair democratic process, with equitable opportunities for full participation, in order to restore dynamism and growth to the American economy and lodge.

RepresentWomen works to accelerate women's representation and leadership through research and advocacy on information-driven systems strategies that enable all women to run, win, serve, and atomic number 82 in appointed and elected offices in the U.s..

See the full listing of Our Common Purpose Champions.

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Source: https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/recommendation-1-1

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