The Local Transit Senate
The concept of the Senate, at least as implemented by the United States Constitution, is anti-democratic. In the state of Montana each senator represents ~500,000 people, in Michigan ~5,000,000 people, and in California ~19,500,000 people. A citizen of Montana has 39 times the representation of a citizen of California, and 10 times the representation of a citizen of Michigan.
The anti-democratic concept of the senate is replicated throughout America's civic infrastructure. This includes the Interurban Transit Partnership (aka: the Rapid) which is overseen by a board of 15 representatives from the six municipalities; five of these members - 1/3rd of the board - represent the citizens of the city of Grand Rapids which comprises 52% of the population of the service area. A citizen of Grandville has 5 times the representation of a citizen of Grand Rapids.
| City | Population | Population % | Seats | Citizens per Seat | Relative Representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids | 198,893 | 52% | 5 | 39,778 | 1 |
| Wyoming | 76,501 | 20% | 2 | 38,250 | ~1 |
| Kentwood | 54,304 | 14% | 2 | 27,152 | 1.4x |
| Walker | 25132 | 6.57% | 2 | 12,566 | 3x |
| Grandville | 16083 | 4% | 2 | 8,041 | 5x |
| East Grand Rapids | 11,371 | 3% | 2 | 5,685 | 7x |
Thanks to Mariner 9#4828 of Discord for doing the initial tabulation.
Related
- Voter Support Of the RAPID in 2017, UrbanGR
- A Rousing Debate, UrbanGR 2023-08-20
- Some Maps, UrbanGR 2020-02-25
- A Look At Michigan Transportation Data, UrbanGR 2015-03-09
- Board of Directors, The Rapid