[ageofwant]

When the union formed concessions were made... An Ohian's vote weighs, say 1.4, a californian 0.6. So depending on where you vote, your vote weighs more or less. I read Trump lost the popular vote by 3M. But then so did Bush.

I'm not American, my opinion is about as much worth as my passport.

[pjc50]

When the union was formed, the big concession was the "three-fifths compromise": slaves counted for the purposes of vote apportioning, but weren't actually allowed to vote. Preservation of the racist institution of slavery was a driving force behind the unequal apportionment.

And California wasn't a state but a largely empty colony of Spain.