The Our Common Purpose report proposed enlarging the House of Representatives as its very first recommendation but left open the question of the precise number of seats that should be added. Last year, the American Academy convened a group of scholars and former congressional staff to debate the case for a bigger House and the pros and cons of different formulas for House expansion. The benefits of expansion and a bold new recommendation that would continue to grow the body over time are outlined in detail in this new full report.

In conjunction with the report launch, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is hosting a live web event. Join to discuss how the size of the House of Representatives influences the functioning of our representative democracy.
 

America’s young leaders are concerned about the future of American democracy. To better understand the challenges they perceive and how they propose to reinvent American democracy for the 21st century, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and Washington University in St. Louis convened 50 young leaders from across the U.S. at the virtual Youth Agenda for American Democracy summit organized on November 12, 2021. Read more about the Summit and their affirmative agenda for strengthening our constitutional democracy.

Miles Rapoport, Commission member and Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center, has co-authored a new book with E.J. Dionne Jr., 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting, to be released in February 2022.