Some Republicans in Congress are advocating for a citizenship question to be included on the census questionnaire, with the aim of excluding non-citizens from the count that influences political power in the United States. The proposed Equal Representation Act, up for a vote in the GOP-led House, seeks to eliminate noncitizens from the census tally used to determine House seats and Electoral College votes for each state. However, the bill faces challenges as it is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, faces opposition from the White House, and raises legal concerns due to the constitutional requirement of counting all individuals during the apportionment process.
The proposal has sparked concerns among redistricting experts, civil rights groups, and Democratic lawmakers, who view it as a potential repeat of past efforts by the Trump administration to alter the dynamics of the census significantly. While similar initiatives failed before the 2020 census, the current push by some Republicans is seen as part of a broader strategy to gain advantages in a closely divided country.
The 14th Amendment mandates that congressional seats be distributed based on the total number of persons in each state, emphasizing the inclusion of all individuals in the count. Census data not only impacts congressional representation and Electoral College votes but also guides the allocation of federal funding amounting to $2.8 trillion.
Efforts to add a citizenship question to the census form were thwarted by the Supreme Court in 2019, leading the Trump administration to explore alternative methods to exclude certain groups from the count. President Biden reversed these directives early in his term, emphasizing the importance of an accurate and inclusive census.
Supporters of the citizenship question argue that including noncitizens skews representation away from American citizens and benefits areas with high numbers of non-citizens. Critics contend that the proposal is influenced by partisan interests and could lead to inaccuracies in census data.
The Biden administration opposes the GOP bill, citing concerns about increased census costs, data accuracy, and potential violations of the 14th Amendment. The debate over the citizenship question reflects broader discussions on the role of the census in shaping political power and resource allocation in the United States.
