The Next Census and Fair Representation: What’s at Stake
ORLANDO, Fla. – As the nation looks ahead to the next U.S. census in four years, important legal battles are underway that could change how the count is done and who is included.
These lawsuits, supported by those who share goals with past Republican leaders, challenge how the Census Bureau counts people. The census is vital because it decides how many representatives each state gets in Congress and how federal money is divided among the states.
Some believe that only counting legal residents for these purposes is the fairest way to ensure that citizens’ voices are properly heard. They argue that including those who are not citizens could shift political power away from states with more citizens to states with large non-citizen populations.
One lawsuit, led by a group called America First Legal, questions the methods used to protect the privacy of those counted and how people in group homes are counted. The goal is to make sure these methods aren’t used in the 2030 census and to correct the numbers from 2020.
Another lawsuit, brought by Republican state officials, wants to exclude those in the country illegally from the count used to redraw congressional districts. They believe that only legal residents should be counted when deciding how political power is divided.
These challenges raise important questions about who should be counted when deciding how our government represents the people and how resources are allocated. As these cases move through the courts, the Census Bureau is moving forward with plans for the 2030 count. The outcome of these legal battles could have a big impact on the future of our country’s political landscape.
