Congress supports authentic representation of the people in that representatives and senators are elected to their positions democratically. The Senate ensures that each state is represented in congress, and the House of Representatives ensures that smaller areas within each state (which may have different interests than the entire state) are represented. Thus, Congress is made up of 100 Senators and 435 Representatives (Katznelson, 220).
Congress limits the authentic representation of the people in that, like every other legislature in the world, it does not have an exact demographic profile of the citizens its members represent. "A disproportionately unrepresentative legislature is likely to leave many members of the population without representatives who even minimally comprehend their life situations and needs, while other who are overrepresented are likely to have their views taken into account as a matter of course" (Katznelson, 227).
Congress contains a much lower proportion of Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians and other minorities than it does white, male, educated, rich, professional and business people. Blacks make up 12% of the electorate vs. 7% of seats in the House and 1% in the Senate and Hispanics are 9% of the electorate vs. 6% of House seats and 3% of Senate seats (Katznelson, 229).
Are the white, male, educated, rich, professional and business people in Congress really representing the interests of working class Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, etc.?
Sources:
"grassroots." Morocco Board News Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. <http://www.moroccoboard.com/grassroots>.
Katznelson, Ira, Mark Kesselman, and Alan Draper. The politics of power: a critical introduction to American government. 6th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2011. 2-12. Print.
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