Nobody in the House of Representatives has more constituents than Denny Rehberg. With some 900,000 people in his district — which encompasses the whole state of Montana — his population base is almost 50 percent larger than that of the typical House member. To complicate matters further, only Don Young of Alaska represents a larger geographical area. “It’s a real balancing act,” says Rehberg, a Republican. “I find that there’re three sides to every two-sided issue.”
It would be a lot easier representing all of these citizens if congressmen actually represented citizens. But they don’t, or at least not exclusively. Under the current rules of apportionment, the 435 House seats are divvied up on the basis of the total number of people living in each state — not just citizens, but also non-citizens and even illegal aliens. It’s hard to believe: People whose very presence in the United States is against the law are granted formal representation in Washington.
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