Yes, split all the states until they're all Wyoming's size: http://t.co/TK1bKH3rYXThe gist of the article is that maybe we should split Washington and/or Colorado into two states, and it goes on to analyze what the political consequences would be for the Senate and for the presidential electoral college.
— Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt) August 21, 2013
A major objection to very small states (and other political subdivisions of countries, and countries themselves) is that they are too small for effective governance and provision of public services. The problem is particularly acute in France, which is divided into 36,681 communes.
Another major objection is that adding more small states would give them even more influence in the Senate and further distort American politics. I don’t really care so much about that: the overrepresentation of small states is a big problem, but adding a few more isn’t such a big deal if there are compelling reasons to do so. (No, you don’t want me supervising your diet.)
So here’s an alternative proposal: amend the Constitution you can split up a state into entities that are separate for the purposes of federal elections. Washington could be split up into Western Washington and Eastern Washington, and each would get two senators and the correct number of representatives and presidential electors. Internally, Washington would stay as a single state with one governor, legislature, laws, etc. Congressional districts would be drawn by an independent commission.
This would let Congress do whatever it wants to representation without all the practical problems associated with breaking up states. Politics!
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