[EL] Shrinking legislatures

[Rob Richie]

I'll add that the logical change would be in the other direction. That is,
the US population keeps growing, and legislative chambers could grow to
keep a certain balance. The number of seats in the US House changed every
decade up until 1910, when it illogically stopped; the average number of
constituents has tripled in the intervening years, and Montana has one
House ember for ore than a million people. California state senate
districts are now larger than congressional districts, and Los Angeles
County Supervisor district bigger still.

So my question is what might be some examples in he last 50 years where a
state legislature has increased its number of representatives? I know New
York City Council did so about three decades ago, but it seems quite rare.



On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 3:12 PM Reed Witherby <rwitherby at smithduggan.com>
wrote:

> Massachusetts reduced the size of its House of Representatives from 240 to
> 160 in 1979.
>
>
>
> Reed Witherby
>
> Smith Duggan Buell & Rufo LLP
>
> 617.216.6930
>
>
>
>
>
> *From: *Law-election <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> on
> behalf of David Segal <davidadamsegal at gmail.com>
> *Date: *Thursday, May 16, 2019 at 2:57 PM
> *To: *David O'Brien <dobrien at fairvote.org>
> *Cc: *"law-election at uci.edu" <law-election at uci.edu>
> *Subject: *Re: [EL] Shrinking legislatures
>
>
>
> We went from 100 -> 75 in the RI House and 50 -> 38 in the Senate in 2002.
> Constitutional amendment, put on the ballot by the legislature.
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 2:55 PM David O'Brien <dobrien at fairvote.org>
> wrote:
>
> Nebraska shrunk the size of its legislature when it voted to switch to a
> unicameral system in 1934. Prior to that referendum, it had a Senate with
> 33 members and a House of Representatives with 100 members. Today it only
> has a 49-member Senate.
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 16, 2019 at 2:42 PM Edelman, Paul <
> paul.edelman at law.vanderbilt.edu> wrote:
>
> I am in search of examples of legislative bodies that have shrunk, either
> of their own volition or by order of some superior entity.   They seem to
> be as uncommon as shrinking university administrations.  Does anyone have
> any examples?  Thanks in advance.
>
>
>
> Paul
>
>
>
> Paul H. Edelman
>
> Professor of Mathematics and Law
>
> Vanderbilt University
>
> paul.edelman at vanderbilt.edu
>
> 615-322-0990
>
>
>
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> --
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> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> David O'Brien
>
> Staff Attorney, FairVote
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