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Dear John,
We need a bigger House. Let’s build one.
Since 1929, when Congress chose to cap the House of Representatives at 435, the population of the United States has more than tripled, to 334 million. But the House stopped growing.
Meanwhile, the number of people represented by each member increased from about 200,000 to about 760,000. This is more constituents per representative than in any democracy except India, and it results in a government that is less responsive to the people and more responsive to the interests of corporations and Big Money.
Fortunately there is a simple solution to this problem: Make the House bigger! Watch our latest video to learn more.
Why increase the size of the House? There are plenty of good reasons:
Improve representation: Fewer people per congressperson means each voice is stronger.
Increase the diversity of Congress: More opportunities for women, young people, and people of color to hold office and speak up for their constituencies.
Limit the influence of big donors: Smaller districts means campaigns can be less expensive, helping shift the balance of power from big corporations towards our communities.
And as our video explains, it may also result in the Electoral College vote better reflecting the popular vote.
Some might argue that a larger House would be unwieldy, ungovernable – but plenty of countries with smaller populations than the U.S. have larger legislatures, including Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.
Some might say it would be too difficult to fit more people in the Capitol. But Congress has grown before, and it can grow again. We can’t allow the size of a building to determine the quality of our democracy.
And we can do this! All we need is for Congress to pass a law. No constitutional amendment required. As it turns out, there are two bills under consideration right now that would accomplish this. Find out more by watching our video now.
Thank you for thinking big, and supporting a stronger democracy.
Robert Reich
Inequality Media
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