The pivotal state for making America’s Senate more proportional is Alaska
Plausible amounts of interstate migration could shrink but not eliminate Democrats’ geographic disadvantage
WITH A RAZOR-THIN majority, Democrats in America’s Senate are struggling to pass a signature spending bill. Their woes stem in part from failing to win a bigger majority of votes, but also from the over-weighting of small states, which tend to be rural, in the upper chamber of Congress. Each state gets two senators. As Democrats have become the party of cities, the share of their voters that are packed inefficiently into a few big states has risen.
This article appeared in the Graphic detail section of the print edition under the headline “The last frontier”
More from Graphic detail
Which parts of the world are becoming more prone to wildfires?
Two maps explain why fire seasons are lasting longer and becoming more dangerous
A short history of Syria, in maps
The most influential people, groups and events that shaped Syria’s role in the Middle East
Is Javier Milei’s economic gamble working?
Inflation has plunged in Argentina, but some vital goods have soared in price
How to make sense of 2024’s wild temperatures
Our climate team highlight four charts and two maps
What New York’s congestion charge could teach the rest of America
Lighter traffic in some parts of the city is a promising start. Will it continue?
The secret to one of Europe’s best-performing stockmarkets
Its economy is mired in gloom, but its stock exchange is the envy of Europe