In “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” one of the main characters tries to slow down the process of writing a constitution by giving the delegates too many choices.

In “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” one of the main characters tries to slow down the process of writing a constitution by giving the delegates too many choices. He starts by disparaging the most normal way of giving out representatives, with a statement along the lines of “surely where a man lives is the least interesting thing about him.” He then suggests, for instance, that trade unions be allowed to choose representatives. I don’t think it’s actually workable, but I have to admit that Heinlein has a point: if you ask me to say something about myself, I never start with “I live in X neighborhood.” Why is my House district based on where I live instead of something more relevant? The answer, of course, is that geographic representation is easy to understand and administer. But it also influences the kind of proposals my representative is willing to support or oppose. There are plenty of issues that I care about but my neighbors don’t, and my representative has no incentive to take a stand on those things.