The addition of one or two States to the union would lead to several additional U.S. Senators and Representatives. Some small increase may occur as growing communities in the rapidly growing South and West, for example become independent cities and towns and elect a chief executive and legislators and, perhaps, appoint a town manager. A few new positions may also develop as cities and counties without managers hire them and as unpaid offices which are not counted as employment are converted to paid positions. On the other hand, attempts by governments to cut costs and streamline operations, in response to tight budgets, could reduce the number of paid positions, particularly at the local level. The number of State legislators recently declined slightly when States, as required by law, completed their decennial redistricting.
Elections give newcomers the chance to unseat incumbents or to fill vacated positions.
In many elections, there is substantial competition, although the level of competition varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and from year to year. In some cases, usually in small jurisdictions, an incumbent runs unopposed, or an incumbent resigns, leaving only one candidate for a job. The high cost of running for such positions in large jurisdictions may serve as a deterrent to running, or may leave the challenger dependent on contributions from special interest groups. Earnings Earnings of public administrators vary widely, depending on the size of the government unit and on whether the job is part time, full time and year round, or full time for only a few months a year. In 10 States, legislators just received a per diem while legislatures were in session.