On May 31, the Maine House voted on LD 804, which would provide that Maine have a unicameral legislature. Although a majority in the House voted for it, it needed two-thirds and did not get that much support. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the news.
On May 31, the Maine House voted on LD 804, which would provide that Maine have a unicameral legislature. Although a majority in the House voted for it, it needed two-thirds and did not get that much support. Thanks to Thomas MacMillan for the news.
So is it still just Nebraska that is a unicameral state?
#1 YES — See http://www.ncsl.org
Having upper houses in any State is a vestige of the EVIL ANTI-Democracy House of *Lords* in the U.K. regime.
ANY local govt regimes having 2 legislative bodies ???
P.R. in ALL legislative bodies — before the ANTI-Democracy minority rule gerrymander area MONSTERS start Civil WAR II and/or World WAR III.
How many nation-state regimes manage to survive with ONE national legislative body — especially have P.R. elections ???
The terms “upper house” and “lower house” are misnomers since this is intended to be federalism on the state level. The Senate is intended to represent the counties (like federal senate originally represented states), and the state houses (they are called “delegates” in my state) directly represent the people. No branch is above or below the other, though state senators are usually elected to longer terms. Same salaries in my state just like federal, although our senate president and house speaker do not get paid more like federal.
@4
Except that’s not the situation in very many (any?) states. I can’t think of one state where the state senate is elected by county. Most of the time they’re elected by arbitrary numbered districts that are all supposed to have a set number of people, just like the state houses, only usually a larger number.
So they’re pretty pointless.
# 4 Legislative bodies are supposed to represent ELECTORS-VOTERS — and not some sort of ARBITRARY AREA.
The *modern* area fixation goes back to the gerrymander formation of the English House of Commons in the 1200s in the DARK AGE
— then very progressive — against the then EVIL ANTI-Democracy monarchs/oligarchs in England.
— NOW — super-dangerous.
See the zillion party hack robot minority rule gerrymanders — the 3 Fed gerrymander systems, the gerrymanders in ALL houses of ALL 50 State legislatures and the gerrymanders in many local regimes.
REAL Democracy NOW — via 100 percent P.R.
The way you have the counties represented by the state senate would be to have all of the constitutionally elected county officers in each district form the nominating committee. For example, this would be the county commissioners (3 in WV), county assessor, clerk, sheriff, and surveyor. All of these are county-wide elected positions of four years (except the clerk which is six years). In WV, we have on average 3.5 counties, or parts thereof, per senate district. So the state senate nominating body would be comprised of some twenty-five individuals.
The effect of this would be the increase the election dynamics of local county races. Many county candidates such as clerk, surveyor, and assessor habitually run unopposed!
State Senates were originally designed for county representation, I believe it was called “federal analogy”. The practice was found unconstitutional but the senates were then simply made into larger-district contests instead of abolished outright.
Counties are ARBITRARY subareas of each State regime —
originally for law enforcement — county courts and county sheriffs — derived from England.
See language origin of *sheriff*.
P.R. NOW — Legislature election areas = 1 or more counties or part of one county.
Democracy NOW —
Total Votes / Total Seats = EQUAL votes required for each seat winner — via pre-election candidate rank order lists – to transfer excess votes down and loser votes up.
The EVIL left/right gerrymander monsters — with their EVIL control freak agendas — have set the stage for Civil WAR II — undeclared wars, insane deficits, insane govt debts, etc. etc.
The unicamerial in Nebraska is still controlled by the teachers union, insurance industry, trial attorneys and league of municipalities but for smaller issues one person or small underfunded group can still effect change. On the larger issues, i.e, I&R, the powers that be will still rule the day. 17 years ago, our signature thresholds were doubled by a rogue state supreme court decision and we are yet to restore it because of the unicamerial and those previously mentioned.
To expand on Demo Rep’s comments of June 2nd: Further evidence of the anti-democratic nature of bi-cameral legislative bodies can be seen by the introduction of “one-house bills.” These bills are never intended to become law. They are introduced – to much media fanfare – by our criminal legislaturers to show how they are really “on our side” and that they’re really fighting for our “interests” but those bullies in the other house who wont act on these bills are standing in the way of all this great legislation. This scheme plays out fairly well when different parties control the various houses.
#12 For newer folks –
ALL of the main legislative bodies in the U.S.A. are ANTI-democratic.
1/2 votes x 1/2 gerrymander areas = 1/4 control in general elections
— much worse in the U.S.A. gerrymander Senate — circa 10 percent control — due to the many small below average States.
Much worse with primary math — producing the powermad party hack Donkey/Elephant extremists — who later get elected in the 95 plus percent *safe seat* gerrymander areas — Fed, State and local.
The media is brain dead ignorant about the Stone Age math — with mini-armies of even worse lawyers and courts.
Result – the EVIL insane govt deficits, debts, schemes, etc. — setting the stage for Civil WAR II or worse.