Casten legislation designed to ‘reform American democracy’

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, has introduced a package of legislation designed to reform American democracy by increasing the size of the United States Senate and House of Representatives as well as restoring the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to better align with Article III of the US Constitution.

The legislation, which includes two bills and a Constitutional amendment, would:

• Establish 12 at-large senators to be elected through a national popular vote.
• Add approximately 230 additional members of the House of Representatives [if it had been implemented after the 2020 census].
• Rebalance the power of the Supreme Court by creating a 13-judge multi-circuit panel to hear cases where the United States or a federal agency is a party.

Prior to Casten introducing similar legislation in 2023, there had been no attempts in Congress to expand the Senate or reinstate the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

The last time the House was expanded was in 1911. After an inability to settle disputes over reapportionment after the 1920 Census, the size of the House was arbitrarily locked in place at 435 in 1929, according to news release.

“The fundamental promise of our democracy is to fulfill the will of the people,” Casten said in the release. “In modern times, we have failed to meet that promise. There is a growing list of issues, from climate action to gun control to health care to voting rights, where the federal government has consistently ignored the priorities of the majority of Americans, and often acted in direct contradiction.

“This failure not only breeds cynicism but ultimately risks the very survival of our government. We must act against the counter-majoritarian institutions of our political system and seek to reestablish the government as a stalwart for the people.”

“The Equal Voices Act will increase the size of the House to be in line with the growing population of the United States. Not only will this bill create smaller districts to allow members to be more responsive to the needs of their constituents, but it will also rebalance inflated representation between districts and allow for greater diversity that is more representative of our great nation. On top of that, it will grow and equalize the Electoral College, better aligning outcomes with the national popular vote.”

“Our founders purposefully constructed the Senate to act as a counter-balance to the will of large, populous states. This may have been effective in their time, but it no longer meets the needs of our country,” Casten said in the release.

Casten’s amendment establishes 12 at-large senators to be elected through a national popular vote. That bloc of senators would comprising about 10% of the Senate.

Casten said his proposed changes to the judicial system are necessary because “the current judicial system allows biased parties to game the system, seeking out judges who allow them to further policy objectives instead of blindly seeking justice.”

“The Constitution gives Congress the power to address the structural concerns of the Supreme Court, and we must do so. It’s time for Congress to restore the Court’s jurisdiction to align with Article III of the Constitution and eliminate the current elements that allow the Court to be gamed for political advantages.”

“These are bold but necessary measures that seek to change the norms of modern American politics to remedy longstanding problems in our institutions and return power to the will of the people. This is the next step in our quest to form the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams,” Casten said.