Unequal Representation in thr States

[Keith Broaders]

The larger the assembly district the more expensive it is to run for office. The average winner of a seat in the California Assembly spent over $700,000 to get elected, In most states it costs less than $50,000 to run for office.

To re-apportion our state legislature, two thirds of the senators and two thirds of the assemblymen and women most vote on a Constitutional amendment. Then the voters of the state would need to vote on the proposed amendment.

If the state legislators refuse to fix the problem, it will be up to the people to amendment the Constitution through a ballot initiative.

In the New Hampshire states Assembly there are 400 Assemblymen representing the state's 1.3 million people, while in California their state Assembly has 80 assemblymen representing nearly 40 million people. The ratio in New Hampshire is one representative for every 3,327. The people in California have a ratio of one representative for every 487,000 people.

If the people in both states were equally represented, either New Hampshire would need  to reduce the number of assemblymen  to three or California would  need  to increase  the membership  in their assembly to 2,400. It is obvious that equal representation of the people in these two states does not exist.

The average state has am average ratio of  one representative  for every 60,000. I believe that the ratio of representatives to their constituents should  be the same in all  of the 50 states. The founding fathers established in Article 1,  Section 2, Clause 3, of the Constitution, mandates a ratio in House of  Representatives of 30,000 to 1.

If the states all had a ratio of 30,000 to 1, New Hampshire would have  approximately 45 Assemblymen and right now, California would have 1,308 Assemblymen.

When the people are not adequately and equally represented it is impossible for our system of government to function properly.