A voter in Rutland, Vt. has about 30 times the clout in the US Senate as a voter in Washington County, NY, just a few miles down the road. Both places have a population of about 60,000.
A voter in Wyoming, has about 68 times the clout in the US Senate as a voter in California.
In today's NY Times, Adam Liptak lays out the details of why small states have so much more power in the US Senate, and as a result get more money per person. (Link)
Vermont’s 625,000 residents have two United States senators, and so do New York’s 19 million. That means that a Vermonter has 30 times the voting power in the Senate of a New Yorker just over the state line — the biggest inequality between two adjacent states. The nation’s largest gap, between Wyoming and California, is more than double that.
Liptak mentions the National Popular Vote bill, passed now by eight states (though he doesn't name it), which is one way we can fight back against the growing power of small states to steal our democracy.
I'm curious what everyone here thinks of this issue. I think it's huge, and that it will continue to get bigger over time.
I'm glad the NY Times has given it a large space for discussion.
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