Democracy for the U.S. Senate

by Ron Diener

A Sidebar From Guest Writer Ron Diener

DURHAM, N.C. -

State	Population 1930	*Votes for Senator 1930	Population 1990	*Votes for Senator 1990
AL	2,646,248	4.8	4,221,826	7.0
AK	2,646,248	4.8	550,043	54.1
AZ	435,573	28.9	3,665,339	8.1
AR	1,854,482	6.8	2,350,624	12.7
CA	5,677,251	2.2	29,785,857	1.0
CO	1,035,791	12.2	3,294,473	9.0
CT	1,606,903	7.8	3,287,116	9.1
DE	238,380	52.8	666,168	44.7
FL	1,468,211	8.6	12,938,071	2.3
GA	2,908,505	4.3	6,478,149	4.6
HI	-	-	1,108,229	26.9
ID	445,032	28.3	1,006,734	29.6
IL	7,630,654	1.6	11,430,602	2.6
IN	3,238,503	3.9	5,544,156	5.4
IA	2,470,939	5.1	2,776,831	10.7
KS	1,880,999	6.7	2,477,588	12.0
KY	2,614,589	4.8	3,686,892	8.1
LA	2,101,593	6.0	4,220,164	7.1
ME	797,423	15.8	1,227,928	24.2
MD	1,631,526	7.7	4,780,753	6.2
MA	4,249,614	3.0	6,016,425	4.9
MI	4,842,325	2.6	9,295,287	3.2
MN	2,563,953	4.9	4,375,665	6.8
MS	2,009,821	6.3	2,575,475	11.6
MO	3,629,367	3.5	5,116,901	5.8
MT	537,606	23.4	799,065	37.2
NE	1,377,963	9.1	1,578,417	18.9
NV	91,058	138.2	1,201,675	24.8
NH	465,293	27.1	1,109,252	26.8
NJ	4,041,334	3.1	7,747,750	3.8
NM	423,317	29.7	1,515,069	19.6
NY	12,588,066	1.0	17,990,778	1.7
NC	3,170,276	4.0	6,632,448	4.5
ND	680,845	18.5	638,800	46.6
OH	6,646,697	1.9	10,847,115	2.7
OK	2,396,040	5.3	3,145,576	9.5
OR	953,786	13.2	2,842,337	10.5
PA	9,631,350	1.3	11,882,842	2.5
RI	687,497	18.3	1,003,464	29.7
SC	1,736,765	7.2	3,486,310	8.5
SD	692,849	18.2	696,004	42.8
TN	2,616,556	4.8	4,877,203	6.1
TX	5,824,715	2.2	16,986,335	1.8
UT	507,847	24.8	1,722,850	17.3
VT	359,611	35.0	562,758	52.9
VA	2,421,851	5.2	6,189,197	4.8
WA	1,563,396	8.1	4,866,669	6.1
WV	1,729,205	7.3	1,793,477	16.6
WI	2,939,006	4.3	4,891,769	6.1
WY	225,565	55.8	453,589	65.6

*KEY TO CHART - Votes for Senator: Each Californian has one vote for a Senator. There are 29,785,857 voters in California.

Each Wyomingite has one vote for a Senator. There are 453,589 voters in Wyoming.

The number is simply the ratio of the population of the most populous state (now, California) to the population of the rest of the states. As the average ratio (or skew) increases, the Senate becomes progressively less and less democratic in terms of representation. What began as a terrible precedent in 1790 - an average skew of 4.6 - has now become almost four times as bad, 15.7: and it is growing and will grow further in the census of 2000.

R Diener


RON DIENER, by trade a librarian, learned to read and write at a young age and enjoys it still. After working for thirty years in the field of library automation, he is working in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the Science Museum.

He worked with Bob Powers -- there's that name again -- in Columbus, Ohio, some years ago at the Columbus Free Press.

For a few years, he lived in Jackson, Wyoming, and worked at the local history society and in hospitality jobs. He moved to North Carolina to be near his brother John, about whom we are sure to hear more, much more. He has had a life-long interest in politics and public affairs, participated actively in political campaigns, spent his money and talents on trying to elect leftists and has written on same from time to time.

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