The Glaring Absence of Working-Class Voices in State Legislatures
The near-total lack of state lawmakers from working-class backgrounds raises serious concerns about whose interests are being represented in policy decisions.
The Story:
There is a nationwide effort to roll back child labor laws, with 28 states introducing bills to weaken these laws since 2021, and 12 states enacting them. In 2024 alone, eight states have either introduced or taken new action on bills that would allow employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for unlimited hours, hire 12- and 13-year-olds at nonprofits, and eliminate work permits for young people. This assault on labor laws is driven by conservative ideology and the interests of reactionary business owners.
However, the practical advancement of this agenda can also be attributed to the class composition of state legislatures. As Nick Carnes, a political science professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, notes, "State legislatures make consequential decisions, and if you have an entire economic class of people that are not in the room when policy decisions are being made, that's going to tilt the kind of problems politicians pay attention to." Of the over 7,300 state legislators in the country, only 116 (1.6%) come from manual labor, service industry, clerical, or union job backgrounds, despite these occupations making up 50% of the U.S. workforce. This problem afflicts both political parties, with only 1% of Republican and 2% of Democratic state lawmakers having working-class backgrounds.
The near absence of working-class representation in state governments is partly due to the structure of many state legislatures. As Peggy Mayfield, an Indiana Republican state Rep., explains, "If I had an employee who came to me and said, 'I wanna run for office,' I'm faced with saying, 'I'm gonna let you off four months a year,' or make a difficult choice. Running for office itself becomes a full-time job … and for some in the working class it may not make sense to go into politics, if they can pursue more profitable opportunities in the private sector." Only 10 states have full-time legislatures, where lawmakers are paid a full-time salary and can devote the majority of their time to legislative duties. In contrast, 14 states have part-time legislatures, where lawmakers earn an average salary of just over $18,000 per year. The remaining states are classified as "hybrid," with lawmakers earning around $41,000 on average. This makes it extremely difficult for working-class individuals of modest means to take on these legislative positions without sacrificing a significant portion of their incomes. Additionally, the necessity of raising money from wealthy donors to run successful campaigns poses a significant barrier for working-class candidates.
To make our elected institutions more inclusive of working people, we would need a stronger and more robust system of campaign finance, more resources to move more legislatures to full-time status, and accommodations such as childcare, housing, and good health insurance. Working-class politicians are more likely to have personally experienced economic hardship and propose solutions that differ from those put forward by colleagues who aren't working class.
Our political system is not designed to accommodate the participation of ordinary working people, as it lacks the resources and accommodations (such as childcare, housing, and healthcare) that would enable their involvement.
The View:
The near-total absence of working-class representation in state legislatures is a deeply troubling phenomenon that undermines the very foundations of democratic governance. By allowing the interests of wealthy business owners and the upper class to dominate the legislative process, we have effectively disenfranchised the vast majority of citizens whose livelihoods and well-being are directly impacted by the decisions made in our state capitols. The coordinated effort to roll back child labor laws is a prime example of how this class imbalance in our legislatures can have devastating consequences for working families.
It is unconscionable that in a modern, prosperous society, we would even entertain the notion of allowing children to be exploited by employers for their own profit. Yet, this is precisely what is happening, and it is a direct result of the outsized influence wielded by reactionary business interests in our state governments. The data on the class composition of state lawmakers is both sobering and enraging. That a mere 1.6% of these officials come from working-class backgrounds, when half of all U.S. workers occupy such positions, is a damning indictment of the systemic barriers that prevent ordinary citizens from having a voice in the political process. This is not a problem confined to one party or ideology; it is a pervasive issue that transcends partisan lines, reflecting the entrenched power of the elite class in our political system. The structural factors that contribute to this lack of working-class representation are deeply troubling. The part-time and underpaid nature of many state legislative positions effectively excludes those who cannot afford to sacrifice a significant portion of their income to serve in public office. The reliance on wealthy donors to finance campaigns further entrenches the dominance of the upper class, as working-class individuals simply do not have the same access to vast financial resources.
This state of affairs is unacceptable, and it is high time we confront it head-on. We must push for reforms that make our legislative bodies more inclusive and representative of the diverse experiences and perspectives of our citizenry. This means advocating for full-time, well-compensated legislative positions, as well as robust public financing systems that level the playing field for working-class candidates. Moreover, we must challenge the deep-seated cynicism and hostility toward politics and politicians that has permeated our society. The notion that we should cut resources and impose term limits on our elected officials is a self-defeating and shortsighted approach that only serves to perpetuate the dominance of the elite. Instead, we must recognize the critical importance of having a professional, well-resourced cadre of public servants who are empowered to effectively address the pressing issues facing our communities.
TLDR:
Only 1.6% of state legislators come from working-class backgrounds, despite 50% of U.S. workers belonging to this economic class.
This underrepresentation exists across party lines, with just 2% of Democrats and 1% of Republicans qualifying as working-class.
Ten states have no working-class state lawmakers at all, a concerning trend that suggests economic challenges like wage stagnation and housing affordability may be overlooked.
Structural barriers, including low legislative salaries and the high cost of running for office, discourage working-class individuals from pursuing elected positions.
The absence of diverse lived experiences at the legislative table skews the types of issues and solutions that lawmakers prioritize, privileging the interests of the upper-class elite.
Addressing this representational imbalance will require a concerted effort to recruit, train, and support working-class candidates, as well as reforms to make state legislatures more accessible and inclusive.
Insights From:
Opinion | The Price We Pay for Having Upper-Class Legislators - The New York Times
Working-class people rarely have a seat ‘at the legislative table’ in state capitols - Stateline