Citizenship data can still possibly be used in redistricting
Even if the citizenship question is NOT on the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau has indicated that it’s willing to share block-level citizenship data from administrative sources like the Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of redistricting.
In doing so, politicians who want to manipulate district maps for partisan gain will have data at their fingertips to do so even more skillfully -- by excluding people living in the U.S. who are not U.S. citizens.
This proposal would be a major blow to our voting rights and representation in government. Allowing unreliable, highly-targeted citizenship data to play a role in redistricting would boost the number of representatives that less diverse, rural communities receive while diminishing the representation of urban, immigrant-friendly areas of equal population.
Less political power means less access to important educational, health, and public safety services that our communities need to thrive.
Lawmakers in Texas, Arizona, Missouri and Nebraska have already said that they would consider making use of the citizenship data for redistricting purposes if it became available.
|