The House of Representatives voted to add a citizenship question to the census to prevent illegal immigrants from distorting the redistricting and electoral allocation process.
The House of Representatives voted 206-202. equal representation law Although passed along party lines Wednesday, the bill is expected to die when it passes the Senate.
“The inclusion of non-U.S. citizens in determining each state’s number of seats and electoral votes undermines the representation of Americans in the federal government,” Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-Ill.) said in a statement. It’s distorted.”
Edwards introduced the bill in January and has well over 100 co-sponsors.
The basis for this law is the fact that every 10 years, after the census, each state revisits its congressional maps and loses or gains seats based on changes in population.
Although the final decennial apportionment process is nearly complete ahead of the 2022 midterm election cycle, several legal battles over redistricting are still pending.
“The mere presence of illegal immigrants in the United States affects election results. The Equal Representation Act passed by the House of Representatives ensures that Americans, and only Americans, have a voice in determining the direction of our country. “This will protect our democracy,” Edwards added.
Critics of the bill emphasized the Constitution’s requirement to count “people” in the country and worried that adding this question to the census could preclude honest responses.
They also complained that permanent residents, such as green card holders, could be excluded from the allocation process. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) argued that maintaining the status quo benefits Republicans.
“If you were politically cynical, you would accept this bill because it’s a red state like Florida, Texas,” Raskin said on the House floor. That’s because it’s already swollen.”
“We’re just trying to follow what the Constitution says. I know that’s kind of a radical proposal these days.”
Raskin also argued that Republicans need to amend the Constitution to address concerns about the census.
of The 14th Amendment states:: “The delegates shall be counted to the total number of each state, and shall be assigned to the several states according to their respective numbers.”
Former President Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to add a citizenship question to the census while in office.
However, the Supreme Court eventually scuttled This effort dates back to 2019. The Trump administration then tried to find workarounds for measuring the noncitizen population.
“Biden’s disastrous and intentional border crisis has resulted in millions of criminal immigrants crossing the border illegally,” said Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), co-sponsor of the bill. “We must take steps to maintain the integrity of our elections.” said in a statement.
“The Equal Representation Act protects law-abiding Americans by ensuring their voices are properly represented. I am proud to have co-sponsored and voted yes on this bill. This is just one of many steps we must take to ensure our elections are secure and our votes are protected.”
The next decennial census is scheduled to take place in 2030.
