GOP looks to change census — here’s how it could affect red and blue states

[Geee]

Washington Examiner

The battle over the illegal immigration-related Equal Representation Act, a GOP-backed bill, has big implications for the future of the country.

The bill considered in the House this week would add a citizenship question to future census counts while preventing noncitizens from being counted in House of Representatives and Electoral College apportionment.

 

While not immediate, the impact of the bill could be enormous, as it could swing control of the House or even the outcome of a U.S. presidential election following the 2030 census.

“Incentivizing illegal immigration and exploiting our democracy to skew the number of congressional seats or electoral votes for the presidency is immoral and a sure path to the downfall of our nation,” Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) said when he dropped the bill, known as H.R. 7109, in late January. “Only American citizens can vote, and only American citizens should be counted when determining federal representation.”

Edwards and co-sponsor Warren Davidson (R-OH) argue that apportioning representation to illegal immigrants rewards “the Biden administration‘s open border policies” and creates an incentive to bring more noncitizens into the country.

 

But the 14th Amendment reads that the House will “be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state,” making no mention of legal or voting status.

President Joe Biden highlighted that fact in a statement of opposition to the bill.