logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Is half of the Senate elected by 18% of the population?

By William Boger
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

The structure of the U.S. Senate, with two members from each of 50 states, ensures that each state has an equal voice. The 52 Senators elected by the least-populous 26 states represent 58 million people, or about 18% of the U.S. population.

The Constitution's framers intended the disparity to protect states' rights and minority views, balancing the population-based allocation of seats in the lower house. In 1790, in a nation of 16 states, half the 32 Senators represented about 20% of the population. Virginia was 12 times more populous than Delaware, then the smallest state. Today, with much more widely varying rates of urbanization and density across the fifty states, the largest state, California, is 68 times more populous than the smallest, Wyoming.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Infoplease: US population by state
US Senate: Constitutional design
Wikipedia: 1790 US census
National Review: Senate's legitimacy
The Atlantic: Here's how to fix the Senate
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.