Listen

To this story in on our podcast

Video

Watch Ali hold forth on the House

Listen

Ali Velshi on Expanding the House of Representatives

MSNBC anchor and Citizen Board member believes it's time to revisit what our founders meant by "representative democracy"

Listen

Ali Velshi on Expanding the House of Representatives

MSNBC anchor and Citizen Board member believes it's time to revisit what our founders meant by "representative democracy"

Is it time to expand the U.S. House of Representatives? MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, inspired by The Washington Post’s Danielle Allen, believes so. And not just because that’s what the founders of our nation wanted.

When the founders established the House of Representatives, they established the ratio of one Representative per 35,000 constituents. They also made it clear that the House should expand as the population grows. But 100 years ago, our leaders decided to stop growing the House. Today, each of the 435 U.S. Representatives represents an average of 762,000 citizens. That’s more than 20 times what the founders originally designed, and many times that of every other democratic nation.

“America is the only democracy that has not adjusted the size of its legislative assembly,” says Velshi. We have the highest representation ratio of any comparable democracy, by a long shot.” The United States in 2023 has grown by 200,000,000 people in one century — and continues to grow.

The problem with not expanding the House of Representatives as our nation expands is obvious. They just can’t serve the needs of all of their constituents, who are often drowned out by “the loudest voices in the room” (in other words, those with the most money).

Sure, there are concerns about growing the legislative body too big. Where would we physically put all these U.S. Representatives? Would more Representatives mean bigger and therefore less productive government? “One thing is clear,” says Velshi, “By effectively representing more people, elected officials are beholden to fewer of them.”

LISTEN: ALI VELSHI ON THE TROUBLE WITH THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

WATCH: ALI ON THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MORE FROM MSNBC’S ALI VELSHI

The Philadelphia Citizen will only publish thoughtful, civil comments. If your post is offensive, not only will we not publish it, we'll laugh at you while hitting delete.

Support Your Local Journalism. "With your help, we can be the antidote to the failures of big media, the bitterness of national politics, your post-election malaise and the confusion about what to do now" - Roxanne Patel Shepelavy, Executive Director, The Philadelphia Citizen. Button that says Give that leads to a donation page for end of year fundraising. Your gift will fund independent, local journalism and solutions for Philadelphia.

Be a Citizen Editor

Suggest a Story

Advertising Terms

We do not accept political ads, issue advocacy ads, ads containing expletives, ads featuring photos of children without documented right of use, ads paid for by PACs, and other content deemed to be partisan or misaligned with our mission. The Philadelphia Citizen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and all affiliate content will be nonpartisan in nature. Advertisements are approved fully at The Citizen's discretion. Advertisements and sponsorships have different tax-deductible eligibility. For questions or clarification on these conditions, please contact Director of Sales & Philanthropy Kristin Long at [email protected] or call (609)-602-0145.