Sen. Jim Banks Calls for Census Review

Senator Jim Banks from Indiana has reached out to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, urging an investigation into potential inaccuracies in the 2020 Census that could have unfairly favored Democrats and undocumented immigrants.

In his communication, Banks expressed concern over what he perceives as misrepresentations in the Census data. He stated:

We encourage you to investigate and correct errors from the 2020 Census that handed disproportionate political power to Democrats and illegal aliens. The Census Bureau used a new, confusing methodology known as differential privacy. This resulted in incorrect population counts for 14 states, which led to the misallocation of six Congressional seats and electoral votes to Democrats. Additionally, there may be inaccuracies in the population figures for various voting districts. Notably, the data included undocumented immigrants without verifying their citizenship status. If these issues aren’t addressed, the outcome will continue to undermine the political influence of American citizens.

Ken Klukowski, formerly a senior legal contributor for Breitbart News, mentioned that the data indicated significant biases, stating that in 2020, the Census Bureau appeared to overstate the populations of Democratic-leaning states while compensating for Republican states, leading to Democratic gains in congressional representation.

He also noted that, as a result, the Democratic Party hasn’t secured an electoral college win for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

The U.S. Census Bureau reportedly implemented a controversial privacy approach to enhance what it calls confidentiality protection or “disclosure avoidance.” The 2020 Census data employed this new framework, which relies on differential privacy.

In his message, Banks underscored his concerns about the integrity of this privacy approach, explaining:

The 2020 Census posed challenges for apportionment and could significantly impact redistricting. The use of differential privacy alters the population figures for specific voting districts, rendering the districting based on flawed data, which may even breach legal standards. The alarming part is that it remains uncertain how many precincts are affected. There are original census data files; however, only a select few officials have access to them.

He emphasized the necessity for the Census Bureau to release the 2020 Census data using the original figures so that states can accurately assess their voting districts. “It’s essential that the 2030 Census employs a methodology that ensures an accurate count of state populations and voting districts, without giving undue advantage to one political party,” Banks concluded.