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The creators of our Constitution gave states congressional representation for three-fifths of their enslaved population. That boosted Southern states’ voice in Congress, despite the fact that the enslaved were not allowed to vote.
The number of electoral votes allocated each state is the same as the number of seats the state holds in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. With so many enslaved people in Southern states, the result was that the number seats in Congress held by the Southern states was increased — by enslaved people who were not allowed to vote but did give the Southern states an increased voice in federal affairs.
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