US electoral reform

What's the most underreported story from last week's US election? It's that the Republican candidates for the House of Representatives got a combined vote slightly smaller than their Democratic counterparts, but still managed to win more seats, thanks to the magic of gerrymandering. (If the situation had been reversed and the Democrats had gerrymandered their way to victory without winning more votes, you can be sure conservatives would be challenging their victory's legitimacy.)

If you don't like how things are done, it's important to suggest a better way.  So I've come up with an electoral reform proposal for the US House of Representatives similar to my proposal for Canada's House of Commons.  First of all, I'd increase the number of House seats from 435 to 650. (House districts are huge, and this change would bring the US in line with parliaments from smaller nations like Britain and Germany.)

As with Canada, I'd have Category A seats, chosen in the same "first past the post" way as before; Category B, allotted to the different parties so that the total of A and B would be distributed in proportion* to the popular vote in that province; Category C, going to the party with the largest statewide popular vote, except in states where a party scored a landslide and its A seats alone were greater than its proportional share of A and B seats, in which case these seats would be distributed between the other parties to allow their full proportion* of A and B. (If their totals are still below their proportional share, they'll lose out in equal* number.)

(*=or as close as possible)


Now for the distribution:

A state with 15 seats or less would receive no C seats; one with 16-30, one C seat; 31-45 two, 46-60 three, 61-75, four.

A state with 5 non-C seats or less would receive no B seats; one with 6-10, two B seats; 11-15, three, 16-20 four, 21-25 five, and so on.

Thus a state with 5 seats would have 5 A seats; one with 6, 4 A and 2 B; one with 11, 8 A and 3 B; one with 17, 12 A and 4 B and 1 C; one with 33, 24 A and 7 B and 2 C;  one with 49, 36 A and 10 B and 3 C; one with 65, 48 A and 13 B and 4 C.

While I'm at it, I've also thought of how to reform US Senate elections. First, I'd raise the number of Senate seats from two to three, on the same principle as increasing House size.  Instead of having each state choose Senate seats in alternating Congressional elections like today, I'd have it choose all three at the same time every six years.  And I'd have them elected on a single ballot, with the top three candidates winning a seat. (You'd only need a quarter of the vote to get elected.) That would bring in some new blood where it's needed!