by J.D. Davidson
Ohio voters carry less weight than voters around the country, according to a new WalletHub report released earlier this week.
The report calculated the number of elected officials in the federal government per the adult population in each state for the most recent election years. For example, the report ranks California’s votes weak based on the number of people each of its senators must represent, while Wyoming’s votes are strong based on the same reasoning.
Overall, Ohio ranked next-to-last in the country in terms of voting power.
“Ohio is the state with the second least powerful voters. Looking separately at Senate, House and gubernatorial elections, Ohio ranks in the bottom 10,” WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzalez said. “This means that the state’s voters are not among the most influential. More to the point, the number of senators, House representatives and governors per adult population in Ohio is among the lowest.”
Ohio ranked as the 35th most powerful voting state in the U.S. Senate and the 43rd most powerful in U.S. House elections. It ranked 45th in gubernatorial elections.
In terms of U.S. House elections, the report ranked Minnesota as having the most powerful voters, followed by Alaska, Maine, Colorado and North Carolina. The most powerful Senate voting states include Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, New Hampshire and North Dakota.
Wyoming ranked overall as the state with the most powerful voting, followed by Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska and South Dakota.
The voters with the least amount of power include Arizona, Ohio, California, Wisconsin and New York.
“We should absolutely consider reforms to congressional representation,” said Jeremy Mayer, associate professor at George Mason University. “The problem is, in the Senate, it would take, not just a constitutional amendment, but a unanimous one to do this. That is because the equal representation of states in the Senate is the one thing about our Constitution that cannot be changed by regular amendment.”
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J.D. Davidson is a regular contributor to The Center Square. An Ohio native, Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio, Georgia, Alabama and Texas. He has served as a reporter, editor, managing editor and publisher.
Photo “Election Day” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
