When the U.S. was founded, there were 65 members, representing 3.9 million people. On average, that’s one House member for every 60,450 people. Today, there are 435 members representing 331 million people – or one House member for every 761,169 people.
The number of seats in the House was
. But it is not a constitutional provision. It is a federal law, so it can be repealed or amended just like any other.Any changes would require a new law expanding the House, determining how many seats each state would get and drawing new districts based on U.S. Census Bureau data to achieve relatively equal representation.
It might not be widely popular to send even more politicians to Washington, D.C. A larger House would also cost more to operate: The total cost for the House now averages. But an improvement in democratic representation might be worth the effort. If the House had kept pace with population growth since 1913, I calculate that there would be 1,560 seats now.
Comparative political analysts have identified a general mathematical principle about the size of a properly representative national legislature, called the “”: Many legislatures around the world have, by various processes, ended up with a number of seats roughly equal to the cube root of the population they represent. That is the number which, when cubed, or multiplied by itself and itself again, equals the population. That would put the U.S.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why the US House of Representatives has 435 seats – and how that could changeSince 1913, the number of seats in the House has remained constant even though the nation’s population has more than tripled.
Read more »
Rare coin sells for $4.2 millionAn auction house, GreatCollections, announced on Sunday that it bought the rare Walton 1913 Liberty Head nickel for a whopping $4.2 million.
Read more »
Why the US House of Representatives has 435 seats – and how that could changeSince 1913, the number of seats in the House has remained constant even though the nation’s population has more than tripled.
Read more »
Three Arrows Capital liquidators seek subpoenas amid reported regulatory scrutinyRepresentatives overseeing the liquidation of Three Arrows Capital want a U.S. court to subpoena the founders.
Read more »