Five hundred thirty-seven elected federal officials are responsible for approximately 349 million Americans. That seems more than fair, doesn’t it? The Constitution guarantees every citizen an equal claim to representation, but it does not tell us how much representation that claim can realistically provide. It is a mathematical and philosophical question, not constitutional.

Representation is often discussed in moral or legal terms. We speak of equal protection, equal voting rights, and equal access to the ballot. These are indispensable principles. However, representation also has a practical and restrained dimension. A representative cannot represent without listening, deliberating, responding, and deciding. Every one of those activities consumes a finite resource: time. Representation depends upon representative attention, and representative attention is finite.