Senate so white
Critical Analysis
In the United States Senate all states are represented equally. Regardless of size or population, each state has two senators. There are 100 U.S. Senators; two per state. Based on the data from the visual above, for every million Hispanic people, how many senators are there?
Based on the data above, describe the difference in Senate representation between Whites and non-Whites in the United States.
According to the data from the table above, What race is the most underrepresented in the United States Senate?
Not only are all states not equal in size, they also vary in racial makeup (some states like Maine and Montana are more White than other states like Hawaii and New Mexico). Based on the data from the visual above, for every million White people, how many senators are there?
Based on the David Leonhardt article and the visual below*, make a claim about why the Senate is so White?
Based on the powers of the senate what are some policy consequences of White over representation in the senate?
According to the visual below*, how many Senators do Puerto Rico and D.C. have?
D.C. and Puerto Rico are some of the least white states/territories/districts and they do not have senators. The District Clause, found in Article I of the Constitution, empowered Congress to establish a federal capital district “not exceeding ten miles square” where it would “exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever.” But the Framers made a fateful omission: They failed to provide a means for representation for the district’s future residents. In the Constitution, seats in Congress and votes in the Electoral College are all allocated among the states — but the district is not a state. Puerto Ricans requested statehood on Nov. 3, 2020, with 52.3% of voters asking to change the island’s status from unincorporated territory to U.S. state. Puerto Rico didn’t become the 51st state then, and it is unlikely to achieve statehood any time soon. Only Congress can add new states to the Union, via an Admission Act or House Resolution that requires approval by a simple majority in the House and Senate. Make a claim about whether Puerto Rico and D.C. should receive statehood.
At the Constitutional Convention of 1787 large and small states disagreed about how congressional representation should be apportioned. Delegates from the large states (like Virginia) believed that their states should enjoy proportionally greater representation in Congress. Small-state delegates (like New Jersey) demanded, that all states be equally represented. The delegates to the convention finally agreed upon the Connecticut Compromise granting 2 senators to each state (large or small) and House representation based on population (more representation for large states) explain how this compromise let to the disproportion as shown in the visual below.*
Nebraska has a unicameral legislature (one chamber, based on population). Imagine the United States adopted a unicameral legislature. How would that change racial representation as shown in the visuals above and below*?
Learning Extension
Read the David Leonhardt article explaining why the Senate is so White.
Action Extension
Contact your state legislators and based upon your opinion about equal representation, urge them either to create a unicameral legislature like Nebraska, or to maintain their current bicameral legislature.
