Post by terrus on Jun 28, 2014 20:52:21 GMT -5
Members of the New Jersey Legislature,
The United States enjoyed a successful election in 1790, a free and fair contest in which voters made informed decisions regarding candidates. There is no overstating the importance of holding good elections such as these -- after all, a republic draws its legitimacy from the votes of the people. Yet the nation, and New Jersey in particular, did face one significant challenge in 1790: the difficulty arising from at-large elections in states with multiple congressional districts.
Holding at-large races makes sense in a small state with one or two representatives. The people are more than capable of choosing from amongst four or five candidates, and the number of candidates running for that many seats is generally small. It thus makes sense for a small state -- as New Jersey once was -- to have at-large elections. That way, every representative is serving the whole state, allowing a smaller state a seemingly larger voice in Congress.
A large state must adopt a different electoral system, however, to ensure proper representation and informed voting. The average voter should not be required to keep track of a dozen different candidates for a single race as such is simply an unreasonable request to make -- and yet, with New Jersey's population growing, that is almost certain to be the case. And it is equally unreasonable to expect a voter to accept his representative also representing 180,000 others -- no person can realistically hope to serve such a large population in a legislative capacity.
Taking this into account, and also taking into account my own experience in New York, I write today to urge you to consider reforming New Jersey's election procedures. The single-member districts setup by New York, Massachusetts, and other states have provided strong representation in Congress for the citizens of those states, while also making elections in those states simpler and easier for voters. I truly think that New Jersey -- and indeed, many other large states -- could benefit from adopting such a single-member district system.
I am a New Yorker, not a New Jersey citizen, but I hope you will consider my words. I truly believe that it would be of great benefit to your state to consider adopting a single-member district system.
Thank you,
James Terrus
Attorney for the United States
The United States enjoyed a successful election in 1790, a free and fair contest in which voters made informed decisions regarding candidates. There is no overstating the importance of holding good elections such as these -- after all, a republic draws its legitimacy from the votes of the people. Yet the nation, and New Jersey in particular, did face one significant challenge in 1790: the difficulty arising from at-large elections in states with multiple congressional districts.
Holding at-large races makes sense in a small state with one or two representatives. The people are more than capable of choosing from amongst four or five candidates, and the number of candidates running for that many seats is generally small. It thus makes sense for a small state -- as New Jersey once was -- to have at-large elections. That way, every representative is serving the whole state, allowing a smaller state a seemingly larger voice in Congress.
A large state must adopt a different electoral system, however, to ensure proper representation and informed voting. The average voter should not be required to keep track of a dozen different candidates for a single race as such is simply an unreasonable request to make -- and yet, with New Jersey's population growing, that is almost certain to be the case. And it is equally unreasonable to expect a voter to accept his representative also representing 180,000 others -- no person can realistically hope to serve such a large population in a legislative capacity.
Taking this into account, and also taking into account my own experience in New York, I write today to urge you to consider reforming New Jersey's election procedures. The single-member districts setup by New York, Massachusetts, and other states have provided strong representation in Congress for the citizens of those states, while also making elections in those states simpler and easier for voters. I truly think that New Jersey -- and indeed, many other large states -- could benefit from adopting such a single-member district system.
I am a New Yorker, not a New Jersey citizen, but I hope you will consider my words. I truly believe that it would be of great benefit to your state to consider adopting a single-member district system.
Thank you,
James Terrus
Attorney for the United States
