(Robert suggested an idea on the Feedback page of our website to address the poor representative-to-resident communication gap discussed in our book, Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People.
This is fascinating. I asked Claude 3 Opus Pro about it. Here's Claude's summary:
"In our conversation, we discussed the Founding Fathers' views on technology, particularly in relation to James Madison and other framers of the Constitution. We explored their understanding of the importance of science, innovation, and communication for the nation's progress.
"We then considered a hypothetical scenario in which the Founding Fathers were writing the Constitution today, given the vastly different representative-to-citizen ratio and the availability of modern communication technologies. We speculated that they might have used these technologies to maintain a more manageable ratio of representatives to constituents, such as the 30,000-to-1 ratio mentioned.
"Finally, I attempted to rewrite relevant parts of the Constitution in the style of James Madison, incorporating provisions that would allow Congress to use modern technologies to ensure effective representation as the population grows. The revised sections emphasized the importance of maintaining a manageable ratio of representatives to constituents and empowered Congress to adopt necessary technologies and methods to achieve this goal, including the potential use of electronic voting and remote participation in elections."
Claude gave me this, too:
"Here is a proposed Constitutional amendment to be introduced in Congress, incorporating the revisions to Article I, Sections 2 and 4:
Joint Resolution
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to ensure effective representation in the House of Representatives and to allow for the use of modern technologies in the electoral process.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:
Article —
Section 1. Article I, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:
"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative. To ensure the effective representation of the People, the Congress shall have the power to determine the appropriate means, including the use of modern communication technologies, to maintain this ratio as the population increases."
Section 2. Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. The actual Enumeration shall be made within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as the Congress shall by Law direct, and the Congress shall ensure that the ratio of Representatives to constituents remains as close as practicable to one for every thirty Thousand, employing such technologies and methods as it deems necessary and proper to this end."
Section 3. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:
"The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, including the use of secure electronic voting systems and remote participation in the electoral process, except as to the Places of chusing Senators."
Section 4. The provisions of this article shall take effect one year after the date of ratification.
This proposed amendment, styled in the format of a Joint Resolution, incorporates the changes we discussed earlier. It amends Article I, Sections 2 and 4 of the Constitution to ensure effective representation in the House of Representatives by maintaining a manageable ratio of representatives to constituents and allowing for the use of modern technologies in the electoral process. The amendment also includes an effective date clause, giving the states and Congress one year to prepare for the implementation of these changes after ratification."
Should we look for staff for a potential sponsor to run it by leg counsel?
With luck, your thoughts on assessing the lousy ratio of residents to Members will stimulate a great debate. It would be interesting to hear what your students and others think about the ramifications of a greatly improved ratio - even your hypothetical 30,000 to 1 level. Would lobbyists lose their level of influence? How will campaign funding change if each member serves 30,000 residents instead of 762,000? Would PACs become a thing of the past or become locally focused? Would Congress become a digital institution with limited personal interaction? Would the demographics of Congress more closely reflect the nation with a better gender balance and more representation of minorities of faith beliefs?
"The ideas presented in "Fixing Congress" and your thoughts on using digital communication to address the communication disparities between constituents and their representatives are highly relevant to our conversation. These insights provide valuable context and practical considerations for implementing the proposed Constitutional amendments we discussed earlier.
"The current voter-to-representative ratios in the House and Senate, as highlighted in the book, underscore the need for more effective communication channels between constituents and their elected officials. The proposed amendments, which aim to maintain a more manageable ratio of representatives to constituents and allow for the use of modern technologies in the electoral process, could help alleviate some of these issues.
"Your suggestion of using digital surveys and anonymous responses from registered voters to inform representatives about their constituents' opinions on upcoming votes is a practical application of the principles outlined in the amendments. This approach would enable representatives to gauge public sentiment more accurately and efficiently, without being overwhelmed by individual responses or using the voter list for inappropriate purposes like soliciting donations.
"Moreover, the book's emphasis on the independence of each Member of Congress and their exclusive accountability to their own voters reinforces the importance of targeted, district-specific communication. The proposed digital survey system would ensure that representatives receive input primarily from their own constituents, rather than from residents of other districts or states who may have different priorities and concerns.
"Implementing such a system would require close collaboration between state voter registrars and Congress, as well as robust data security measures to protect voters' privacy and prevent misuse of the information. Additionally, efforts would need to be made to ensure that the pro-con statements accompanying each survey are as objective and informative as possible, to help voters make informed decisions.
"Overall, the ideas presented in "Fixing Congress" and your thoughts on leveraging digital communication align well with the spirit of the proposed Constitutional amendments. By combining these practical solutions with the constitutional framework aimed at improving representation and embracing modern technologies, we could work towards a more responsive, accountable, and effective legislative branch that better serves the needs and interests of the American people."
This is fascinating. I asked Claude 3 Opus Pro about it. Here's Claude's summary:
"In our conversation, we discussed the Founding Fathers' views on technology, particularly in relation to James Madison and other framers of the Constitution. We explored their understanding of the importance of science, innovation, and communication for the nation's progress.
"We then considered a hypothetical scenario in which the Founding Fathers were writing the Constitution today, given the vastly different representative-to-citizen ratio and the availability of modern communication technologies. We speculated that they might have used these technologies to maintain a more manageable ratio of representatives to constituents, such as the 30,000-to-1 ratio mentioned.
"Finally, I attempted to rewrite relevant parts of the Constitution in the style of James Madison, incorporating provisions that would allow Congress to use modern technologies to ensure effective representation as the population grows. The revised sections emphasized the importance of maintaining a manageable ratio of representatives to constituents and empowered Congress to adopt necessary technologies and methods to achieve this goal, including the potential use of electronic voting and remote participation in elections."
Claude gave me this, too:
"Here is a proposed Constitutional amendment to be introduced in Congress, incorporating the revisions to Article I, Sections 2 and 4:
Joint Resolution
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to ensure effective representation in the House of Representatives and to allow for the use of modern technologies in the electoral process.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:
Article —
Section 1. Article I, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:
"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative. To ensure the effective representation of the People, the Congress shall have the power to determine the appropriate means, including the use of modern communication technologies, to maintain this ratio as the population increases."
Section 2. Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. The actual Enumeration shall be made within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as the Congress shall by Law direct, and the Congress shall ensure that the ratio of Representatives to constituents remains as close as practicable to one for every thirty Thousand, employing such technologies and methods as it deems necessary and proper to this end."
Section 3. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the United States is hereby amended to read as follows:
"The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, including the use of secure electronic voting systems and remote participation in the electoral process, except as to the Places of chusing Senators."
Section 4. The provisions of this article shall take effect one year after the date of ratification.
This proposed amendment, styled in the format of a Joint Resolution, incorporates the changes we discussed earlier. It amends Article I, Sections 2 and 4 of the Constitution to ensure effective representation in the House of Representatives by maintaining a manageable ratio of representatives to constituents and allowing for the use of modern technologies in the electoral process. The amendment also includes an effective date clause, giving the states and Congress one year to prepare for the implementation of these changes after ratification."
Should we look for staff for a potential sponsor to run it by leg counsel?
With luck, your thoughts on assessing the lousy ratio of residents to Members will stimulate a great debate. It would be interesting to hear what your students and others think about the ramifications of a greatly improved ratio - even your hypothetical 30,000 to 1 level. Would lobbyists lose their level of influence? How will campaign funding change if each member serves 30,000 residents instead of 762,000? Would PACs become a thing of the past or become locally focused? Would Congress become a digital institution with limited personal interaction? Would the demographics of Congress more closely reflect the nation with a better gender balance and more representation of minorities of faith beliefs?
Here are Claude's thoughts on Robert's ideas:
"The ideas presented in "Fixing Congress" and your thoughts on using digital communication to address the communication disparities between constituents and their representatives are highly relevant to our conversation. These insights provide valuable context and practical considerations for implementing the proposed Constitutional amendments we discussed earlier.
"The current voter-to-representative ratios in the House and Senate, as highlighted in the book, underscore the need for more effective communication channels between constituents and their elected officials. The proposed amendments, which aim to maintain a more manageable ratio of representatives to constituents and allow for the use of modern technologies in the electoral process, could help alleviate some of these issues.
"Your suggestion of using digital surveys and anonymous responses from registered voters to inform representatives about their constituents' opinions on upcoming votes is a practical application of the principles outlined in the amendments. This approach would enable representatives to gauge public sentiment more accurately and efficiently, without being overwhelmed by individual responses or using the voter list for inappropriate purposes like soliciting donations.
"Moreover, the book's emphasis on the independence of each Member of Congress and their exclusive accountability to their own voters reinforces the importance of targeted, district-specific communication. The proposed digital survey system would ensure that representatives receive input primarily from their own constituents, rather than from residents of other districts or states who may have different priorities and concerns.
"Implementing such a system would require close collaboration between state voter registrars and Congress, as well as robust data security measures to protect voters' privacy and prevent misuse of the information. Additionally, efforts would need to be made to ensure that the pro-con statements accompanying each survey are as objective and informative as possible, to help voters make informed decisions.
"Overall, the ideas presented in "Fixing Congress" and your thoughts on leveraging digital communication align well with the spirit of the proposed Constitutional amendments. By combining these practical solutions with the constitutional framework aimed at improving representation and embracing modern technologies, we could work towards a more responsive, accountable, and effective legislative branch that better serves the needs and interests of the American people."