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The representation of states in the United States Senate is based on equal representation. Every state, regardless of size, elects two senators; in contrast, the number of seats a state has in the House of Representatives is based on that state's population.
This difference arose out of the conflict between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan put forth at the Philadelphia Convention. The Virginia Plan proposed that representation in the legislature be based on either a state's population or its monetary contribution to the federal government, whereas the New Jersey Plan proposed an equal distribution of seats in the legislature to all states. The agreed upon compromise between these two plans, called the Connecticut Compromise, established two houses: the House of Representatives, based on proportional representation, and the Senate, based on equal representation.
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How did the great compromise solve the problem of the representation in congress?
It solved the problem of representation in congress because the house of representatives was based on proportional representation (# of representatives based on population) which made the larger states happy and the Senate was based on equal representation (each state got two representatives) which made the small states happy. So each state was represented.
What is the difference between equal and proportional representation?
Equal representation means each region or state is represented by the same number of elected representatives. Proportional representation, on the other hand, means that the number of seats won by a party is proportionate to the received number of votes.
What compromises did the framers make at the constitutional convention?
The Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Plan, was a compromise between the plan for representation that would benefit the smaller states (The New Jersey Plan which wanted an equal number of representatives for each state) and the plan that would benefit the larger states (The Virginia Plan which wanted representation based on population) It created our bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives having representation based on population and the senate having an equal representation of two senators for each state. There was also the three-fifths compromise over how much a slave counted when counting population.
Is each state guaranteed equal representation?
Yes and No the Senate has equal representation with two senators and an amount of representatives based on the population of the states. So for example: The state of Alaska has 3 total electoral votes, 2 from senators and 1 from the house of representatives, due to Alaska having a a very low population.
Why is gerrymandering a problem for the House of Representatives but not the senate?
Senate seats are not assigned based on congressional districts - Apex
