An Underrepresented America

After the election last month, I was asked by a friend of mine why we have 538 electoral votes. I answered by saying that of the 538 votes, there is 1 for each senator, 3 for the District of Columbia, and the remaining 435 are for each of the US Congressional Districts. She then asked what is the significance of 435. Why are there 435 districts? I could not give her an answer.

I decided to do some research, and the results were surprising. It turns out that since 1913, the number of districts has for the most part remained fixed. In 1913, the US population was around 100 million. 95 years later there are still 435 congressional districts, but the US population has more than tripled to over 300 million. Am I the only one who thinks this is alarming?

I am going to find out why they decided to cut off the growth of the congress. I can think of a few good reasons for this, but they are not for the common good. I also want to see how they determine the arrangement of districts, called apportionment. Different algorithms will greatly affect which states get more votes, and could sway national elections and politics.