Population numbers produced by the census are used in many ways: to draw political districts; and to distribute billions of dollars a year in government funding across the country.
Non-citizens, who may not vote, nonetheless are counted for the purpose of distributing federal funding, appropriating congressional seats and drawing district maps for state and local elections. And adding a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, as proposed by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, could give Republicans a new advantage drawing electoral boundaries.
Immigrant communities have expressed heightened reluctance to answer the 2020 questionnaire, even without any mention of a citizenship question. They fear that the data could be used by the government against immigrants.
The practical impact of adding the question would be to reduce the number of congressional districts and, therefore, the Electoral College. This is part of a growing movement on the far right to exclude undocumented immigrants from being counted during reapportionment.
If you still aren’t convinced that adding this question is politically motivated, here’s what Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, said: If only citizens were counted for reapportionment, “California would give up several congressional seats to states that actually honor our Constitution and federal law.”