We take it for granted that every state has two representatives in the
United States Senate. Apply the one person, one vote standard, however,
and the Senate is the most malapportioned legislature in the democratic
world.
But does it matter that California's 32 million people have the same
number of Senate votes as Wyoming's 480,000? Frances Lee and Bruce
Oppenheimer systematically show that the Senate's unique apportionment
scheme profoundly shapes legislation and representation. The size of a
state's population affects the senator-constituent relationship,
fund-raising and elections, strategic behavior within the Senate, and,
ultimately, policy decisions. They also show that less populous states
consistently receive more federal funding than states with more people.
In sum, Lee and Oppenheimer reveal that Senate apportionment leaves no
aspect of the institution untouched.
This groundbreaking book raises new questions about one of the key
institutions of American government and will interest anyone concerned
with issues of representation.