A constitutional movement · founded in Washington State
The Convention of Counties:
restore the representation the
Constitution guaranteed to every county.
State senates were meant to give every county a seat at the table, the same design the Founders built into the United States Senate. A single 1964 Supreme Court ruling erased it. The Convention of Counties is the lawful path to put it back.
- 39
- counties in Washington owed a senate seat
- 50
- states facing the same loss of representation
- 1964
- the year Reynolds v. Sims changed the rules
01 The Movement
What is a Convention of Counties?
It is a lawful, state-level effort to restore a constitutionally balanced government: equal representation for every county in the state senate, the way the Founders apportioned the United States Senate among the states.
The movement began with a question raised during a 2024 Washington State Auditor campaign. If the federal Senate gives every state an equal voice regardless of population, why should a state senate not give every county the same? The answer revealed the same broken structure in all fifty states, and the Convention of Counties was formed to fix it, one county at a time.
- A constitutional process, not a partisan campaign
- Built county by county, through local resolutions
- Aimed at every state, starting in Washington
The Court said one person, one vote.
The Constitution never did.
The premise behind Counties First and the Convention of Counties
02 The Constitutional Argument
How representation was lost,
and why it can be restored.
-
1787
The Founders built balance on purpose
The U.S. Senate gives every state two seats, regardless of size, so that geography and community, not population alone, shape the law. State senates were modeled the same way, apportioned by fixed boundaries such as counties.
-
1889
Statehood carried the design forward
As new states entered the Union, including Washington, their senates were organized around counties. Every county, large or small, held a guaranteed seat in the upper chamber of its own state.
-
1964
Reynolds v. Sims rewrote the rule
The Supreme Court ruled that state senate seats must be apportioned by population. In a single decision, the county-based balance that had stood since the founding was set aside, and small counties lost their guaranteed voice.
-
Now
The lawful path back
The Constitution still guarantees every state a republican form of government. The Convention of Counties pursues that guarantee through county resolutions and constitutional process, restoring the balance without abandoning the rule of law.
03 Watch
Hear the case
from the man who built it.
Two short explainers lay out the constitutional case and the problem it solves. Press play to hear it straight from Matt Hawkins.
04 Get Involved
Restoring the republic,
one county at a time.
This movement is built locally. Here is the path from learning the argument to carrying a resolution in your own county.
Learn the argument
Read the case in full. Counties First lays out the history, the Constitution, and the remedy in plain language.
Read the book ›Join the list
Stay updated as new states file resolutions and Matt Hawkins appears on new interviews. No spam, just progress.
Subscribe below ›Bring it to your county
Request a speaking engagement, in person or by Zoom, and start the conversation with your county commissioners.
Invite Matt ›Fund the work
Every resolution, every statehouse meeting, every printed brief is funded by supporters who believe representation is worth restoring.
Donate now ›05 Questions
Straight answers
to the common questions.
The movement rests on the Constitution and the existing legal process. Here is what it is, what it is not, and what happens next.
Is this the same as the Convention of States or an Article V convention?
No. The Convention of Counties is a state-level effort to restore county-based representation in each state senate. It is not a federal Article V constitutional convention and proposes no federal amendments.
What is the constitutional basis?
The Guarantee Clause, Article IV, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees every state a republican form of government.
Is the process lawful?
Yes. It works through county resolutions and the existing legislative and constitutional process, not by going around it.
What did Reynolds v. Sims actually do?
In 1964 the Supreme Court ruled that state senate seats must be apportioned by population, setting aside the county-based balance that had stood since the founding.
What happens after a county passes a resolution?
It becomes a public, on-the-record call for the state legislature to restore county representation. As resolutions accumulate, they build a record the legislature must address.
06 County Resolutions
The work moves
statehouse by statehouse.
A county resolution is a formal statement, adopted by a county's elected body, calling for representation to be restored in the state senate. Each one is a public, on-the-record demand that the legislature must address.
Washington's 39 counties are where the movement is building its record. As resolutions are adopted, they are tracked here so supporters and legislators can follow the count.
Start a resolution in your county- Active Spokane County, WA Briefings underway with commissioners
- Active Adams County, WA Resolution drafted, under review
- Building Lincoln County, WA Local supporters organizing
- Building Stevens County, WA Speaking engagement scheduled
- Open Your county No champion yet, this could be you
A movement runs on its members
Truth, representation, and a republic worth keeping are not free.
The Convention of Counties is funded entirely by people who believe every county deserves a voice. Your gift pays for resolutions, statehouse briefings, and the printed case for restoring representative government.
Donate to restore truthDonations are processed securely through Givebutter. Every gift goes directly to the work of the movement.
07 Read the Case
Counties First: A House Divided
The full argument behind the movement, in one volume.
Counties First is the blueprint for the Convention of Counties: how representation was lost, why the Constitution is the remedy, and how restoring county-based senate seats stops the gerrymandering of state government. It is the book to hand a commissioner, a neighbor, or a skeptic.
A blueprint for renewing the republic, one county at a time.
08 The Founder
Matt Hawkins
Founder, Convention of Counties · Spokane, Washington
Matt Hawkins built a career across commercial real estate, restaurants, and education while raising ten children. A 2024 campaign for Washington State Auditor surfaced the question that became this movement: why have the states abandoned the balanced representation the Constitution guarantees?
He now carries that case from county to county, available for briefings, Zoom sessions, and speaking engagements with anyone ready to restore representative government in their state.
- Emailinfo@conventionofcounties.com
- Phone+1 509 990 3509
- Based inSpokane, Washington
Stay with the movement
Follow the case
county by county.
When a new county files a resolution, when Matt sits down for a new interview, when a statehouse takes the argument seriously, you will hear it here first. The list is the movement's direct line to people who care.