Political science professor Tiberiu Dragu says some votes count for more than others in many democracies, and a multi-nation study he co-authored shows that some states benefit significantly in federal funding as a result.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. "One person, one vote" is often the rallying cry for democratic reform, suggesting everyone should get an equal say in their government. Yet in some of the oldest and largest democracies, some votes are worth far more than others by design. A Wyoming voter, for instance, is significantly over-represented compared with a California voter. Each state has two U.S. senators, but California has 66 times more people. How much does it matter? According to a recent study of decades of data, from the U.S. and eight other countries, it matters a lot when it comes to money. "Other things being equal, the most over-represented states or provinces can expect to receive more than twice the federal funding per capita as the most under-represented states or provinces," according to Tiberiu Dragu (Tih-BAIR-ee-oo DRAH-goo), co-author of the study with Jonathan Rodden.
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