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Supporters who want to split California in half want to enlarge the state legislature according to a report from the Sacramento Bee.
The federal lawsuit filed against California's secretary of state argues that rural counties in California are underrepresented in the state legislature. They say 40 state senators and 80 Assemblymembers are not enough people to represent the nearly 40 million Californians who live in the state.
The lawsuit also argues that by apportioning legislative districts equally by population dilutes the votes of rural residents and gives more representation to those who choose to live in the cities. Supporters say they want to add one representative for each county and add more members to the Assembly.
The activists have plenty of ideas on how adding new members might work. That includes returning the state to the pre-1996 rules about the Senate's structure and adding hundreds of new Assemblymembers so that districts represent fewer people.
The lawsuit was filed by activists who want to carve a new "State of Jefferson" out of the northern half of California and part of the southern half of Oregon.