The weight of a vote

In 1790, Virginia held 22 seats in the House of Representatives. One House member represented about 40,000 people when the U.S. Congress was first formed. In 1929, Congress froze the number of seats in the House at 435. Today, one house member represents about 800,000 people - and Virginia’s representation is down to 11 House seats.

Virginia population
House seats
People per seat

Dot scale: one dot ≈ 250 residents. © 2026 VCIJ | Kunle Falayi