Delaware voters ask federal court to add second House seat for state

Two Delaware voters filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, asking the federal court in Washington, D.C., to add a second House seat for the First State.The plaintiffs argue that Delaware residents have “far less representation per person” in the House than voters in any other state. Montana has nearly 1.1 million people spread across two districts, and Delaware has over 990,000 people in a single at-large congressional district.“Delaware’s underrepresentation is the result of federal law limiting the House to a size chosen when the Nation had less than one-third its present population,” the 21-page lawsuit states. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia must consider whether to lift the House’s 435-seat cap in order to add an additional seat in Delaware, per the lawsuit’s request. This would bring the total number of seats to 436. Those who filed the suit claim the limit is unconstitutional.“The 435-seat limitation imposes a severe and avoidable disparity on Delaware’s voters,” the court document reads. “A second Delaware seat would satisfy the Constitution’s requirements for whole seats, State boundaries, and at least one Representative for every State.”The Commerce Department oversees the U.S. Census Bureau, which counts the nation’s population at the start of every decade to apportion House seats.The plaintiffs, University of Delaware professor David Redlawsk and Delaware resident Kevin Price, name Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Census Bureau acting Director George Cook, and House Clerk Kevin McCumber as the defendants.If Congress fails to address the alleged unconstitutional violation by an unspecified deadline, the plaintiffs say they will ask the court to award Delaware one additional House seat. They want the change to be made before the 2028 elections.PELOSI ONE OF 11 DEMOCRATS WHO FAILED TO VOTE IN HEGSETH IMPEACHMENT BID“Delaware would have two Representatives for its 990,837 people, an average of approximately 495,419 people per Representative,” the complaint says. “The House would have 436 Members. The remedy would give Delaware’s voters the additional representation their population requires and leave the allocations of the other 49 States intact.”Delaware is solely represented by Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), who won reelection to a second term last week.