Rural Legislators’ Power Ebbs as Populations Shift

By A. G. SULZBERGER
NYT

LINCOLN, Neb. — Residents here like to repeat a well-worn saying about Nebraska: it is home to more cows than people. Unlike some clichés, this one has the advantage of being true. According to the most recent counts, there are more than three times as many cows (6.2 million) as people (1.8 million).

But another surprising population statistic is challenging the identity of Nebraska, the nation’s largest beef-producing state, as an essentially rural place. More than half the population, according to recent census data, is now clustered in just three counties, out of 93 total, that are home to the state’s three largest cities.

The people who remain in rural parts of the country are used to seeing declining enrollment at schools and shuttered businesses on Main Street, as well as weakening political muscle in Washington. But now they are watching their political power falter even in states that have long been considered synonymous with rural America.

As capitals across the country tackle the contentious work of redrawing state legislative districts, one sure loser will be rural representation. Even here in the Great Plains, farmland areas are more often being overpowered in political tugs of war for state budget dollars.

(More here.)