Expansion Of The Senate
September 17, 2020 at 7:37 p.m.
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As part of my series of letters on reforming Washington, D.C., I would like to present these proposals which address expanding Congress and for this particular letter – the U.S. Senate.
1. A third senator – Each state should receive an additional senator by the means of popular election. This would further strengthen the voice of each state in our nation’s capital. Plus, since it is next to impossible to gerrymander a state like congressional districts, a third senator along with other senate races would be a more accurate measure of overall voter preferences in that state. An extra U.S. Senator along with term limits and other needed reforms would increase the chances of a more diversified political field from each state in regards to its at-large representatives.
2. Restoring Pre-17th Amendment senators – In order to help restore the balance between the states and the federal government, a fourth senator from each state would be appointed by a rotating lottery or bipartisan supermajority vote of their peers in their respective state legislatures to represent the interests of those legislatures and states at a national level. This would help in bringing back some of the checks and balances that existed between the states and federal government before adoption of the 17th amendment in 1913.
3. Vacancy appointments – If a senate seat is unfilled due to the resignation, death or the arrest and criminal conviction of a U.S. senator, that vacant seat in the lower senate would be permanently filled by a special election of voters in that state if it is for a populary elected senator. An appointed senator vacancy in the upper senate would be decided by a special session of the respective state legislature. Governors would still be able to make temporary appointments to the lower senate in the event of a vacancy.
4. An upper and lower senate – The senators elected by popular vote would be grouped into a sub-chamber known as the lower senate, while those senators selected by the state legislatures would be grouped into another sub-chamber known as the upper senate.
5. Maintaining an even number of senators – This expansion of the U.S. Senate would double the overall size from 100 to 200 but would still maintain an even number of senators, allowing the vice president of the United States to still cast a tie-breaking vote when needed.
For those who are interested in seeing these proposals implemented, please contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative, along with senior leaders of Congress and urge them to adopt these ideas in this letter. I would also urge that you contact other media outlets across the state and nation to get these ideas into national conversation.
Alexander Houze
Leesburg
As part of my series of letters on reforming Washington, D.C., I would like to present these proposals which address expanding Congress and for this particular letter – the U.S. Senate.
1. A third senator – Each state should receive an additional senator by the means of popular election. This would further strengthen the voice of each state in our nation’s capital. Plus, since it is next to impossible to gerrymander a state like congressional districts, a third senator along with other senate races would be a more accurate measure of overall voter preferences in that state. An extra U.S. Senator along with term limits and other needed reforms would increase the chances of a more diversified political field from each state in regards to its at-large representatives.
2. Restoring Pre-17th Amendment senators – In order to help restore the balance between the states and the federal government, a fourth senator from each state would be appointed by a rotating lottery or bipartisan supermajority vote of their peers in their respective state legislatures to represent the interests of those legislatures and states at a national level. This would help in bringing back some of the checks and balances that existed between the states and federal government before adoption of the 17th amendment in 1913.
3. Vacancy appointments – If a senate seat is unfilled due to the resignation, death or the arrest and criminal conviction of a U.S. senator, that vacant seat in the lower senate would be permanently filled by a special election of voters in that state if it is for a populary elected senator. An appointed senator vacancy in the upper senate would be decided by a special session of the respective state legislature. Governors would still be able to make temporary appointments to the lower senate in the event of a vacancy.
4. An upper and lower senate – The senators elected by popular vote would be grouped into a sub-chamber known as the lower senate, while those senators selected by the state legislatures would be grouped into another sub-chamber known as the upper senate.
5. Maintaining an even number of senators – This expansion of the U.S. Senate would double the overall size from 100 to 200 but would still maintain an even number of senators, allowing the vice president of the United States to still cast a tie-breaking vote when needed.
For those who are interested in seeing these proposals implemented, please contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative, along with senior leaders of Congress and urge them to adopt these ideas in this letter. I would also urge that you contact other media outlets across the state and nation to get these ideas into national conversation.
Alexander Houze
Leesburg
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