To be clear, the Constitution's wealthy authors intended the Senate to protect powerful people from rapid populist pressure that could more easily influence the House of Representatives. Yet they couldn’t anticipate the later invention of filibusters turning their speed bump into a full roadblock. Nor could the founders foresee population growth that now gives Californians about 1/68th as much Senate representation as residents of Wyoming, a state created a century after the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the people of Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, who outnumber the residents of several states, have no voting representation in Congress whatsoever. The power imbalances are magnified further by the whiteness and patriarchy prevalent in over-represented Plains and Northern Rockies states. While many corporations offer feel-good commercials promoting multiculturalism and equality, their political arms and political investments perpetuate the dominance of wealth over our elections and the public interest. Those of us who value democracy must remember the quest for voting rights and equality is inseparable from the imperative to revoke the power of corporations and money over our elections and government.
Democracy advocates lost a major battle this month when 52 Senators effectively voted to enable rampant voter suppression and election manipulation, but the struggle helped build a foundation for future victory. This includes 230+ civic organizations uniting asMany of us learned a sterilized history in which the United States progressed steadily from a white, wealthy, male electorate toward inclusive democracy.
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