The Census Bureau has proposed the addition of a Citizenship Status Question to the 2020 Census and indicated that data will be included in the transfer of census counts to states for the purposes of redistricting. Two state legislatures have already considered bills to require state legislative reapportionment and redistricting be based on citizen totals rather than full population totals. We expect more states to attempt to follow suit.
Drawing local, state and congressional districts using citizen-only data or voting age data could deprive communities of effective representation and of the economic benefits that often comes with that representation. It could hit family communities the hardest.
During this webinar, funders will hear from:
- Thomas Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF
- Michael Li, Senior Counsel of Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice
- Evan Bacalao, Special Initiatives & Partnerships at Open Society Foundations
Funders will learn about:
- How census data is used in congressional, state and local redistricting, and the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court case Evenwel v. Abbott;
- How efforts to draw out non-citizens or non-voters undermines one person, one vote, and the foundation of our democracy;
- What needs to be done to ensure communities are represented.
Organized By: Redistricting Reform Project