But it is also true that at the time many of the smaller Northern states were involved in the triangle trade - sugar( & molasses) rum and slaves. So it still favored slavery.
At that point, we're basically saying simply that slavery had majority support in the US. I don't think it's correct to say that the Connecticut Compromise worsened that - it still favoured those areas where approval of slavery (and actual numbers of slaves) were lowest.
Incidentally one result of not having PR or some form of choice voting is that even in Congress (which is supposed to be the small d democratic house of Congress, and which currently has approximately equal population in districts) we can have cases where one party wins a majority of the popular vote and ends up winning a minority of the seats.
While I agree, I think that right now the more egregious culprit is that the electoral process - and here I'm thinking specifically of districting - is in most states under partisan political control. Sam Wang estimated that in this election, control of redistricting after the 2010 Census gave Republicans something like a 1.2% advantage in the House - the Dems would have to win the popular vote by at least 1.2% just to reach parity in the House. (Actually, they needed maybe double that due to incumbency advantages too. I'm waiting to see how that plays out in the final tallies.)
Yeah. I don't see why states are that important, but y'all do, so it's fine. I can wait until us immigrants take over and don't understand your history. I estimate...a decade, if we knuckle down and toss out the contraceptives.
I'm pretty sure you all still need to reach eighteen to vote.
I'm not so sure that the states really are that important anymore (beyond the fact that the political system treats them as being that important). The problem is that they were, once, and that's when the system was created. Since then, one of the outcomes of giving disproportionate say to states is that they can use that to keep hold of their disproportionate say.
I figure if all of us can't understand preferential voting, I can't imagine bringing it to the american public.
I'm totally going to get to do crazy voting next year!
TB,
this time, part of the reason for the GOP retention of seats in the House was re-districting. Without that, Dems would have regained the House.
Also, I can't believe how snowy it is!
If anyone still wants the short version on preferential voting, here's a pdf: [link]
billytea definitely knows more than I do about this stuff, or at least more than I remember. Wowza.
I think that right now the more egregious culprit is that the electoral process - and here I'm thinking specifically of districting - is in most states under partisan political control.
Which is one place where California is ahead of the curve. We approved the appointment of a non-partisan Redistricting committee, and their work was IIRC reviewed by the State Supreme Court, and yesterday the electorate approved the redistricting. No more gerrymandering!
