The U.S. Census, Our Representation and Voting
A new census is coming up in a couple of years, so what does it mean? The number of members of the House of Representatives for each state and the electoral college is based on the census and is derived from the number of people in each state. Ironically, these are (arguably of course) two of the most important methods we have as individuals to obtain representation in our government. Recently I heard a radio broadcast asking why it's based on the number of people in each state and not the number of U.S. citizens in each state? Does this make a difference? Let's see, but first a little background.
The origin of the census comes from Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution. Details that each person in the country will be counted every 10 years. Members of the House of Representatives are allocated based on the number of people in each state. The Constitution details we will be equally represented with no state having representation exceeding one representative for each 30,000 people in the state. At the rate of one representative for each 30,000 residents we would now have 10,679 members of the House of Representatives. With over 10,000 members in the House, our government would go from getting very little done to getting absolutely nothing done.
How the members of the House are appropriated to each state has gone through several changes over our history. Since 1941 the method of equal proportions has been used. You can find the details here. The electoral college when we vote for president is made of each state having one vote for each member of the Senate and one vote for each member in the House of Representatives. So when the new census results are tallied every ten years the House of Representative, along with the electoral college, gets a gentle shuffle to align it better with the number of people in each state.
As individuals and families relocate from state to state, populations in each state changes. These changes necessitate the need for a new census every 10 years to bring everything back into alignment. Between each census, the census bureau estimates the population of each state. The latest numbers available are from 2016. If the re-alignment of the House of Representatives and electoral college was done now, here are the adjustments that would be made:
| State | Existing | 2016 Population | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 27 | 28 | +1 |
| Illinois | 18 | 17 | -1 |
| Michigan | 14 | 13 | -1 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 7 | -1 |
| New York | 27 | 26 | -1 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 14 | +1 |
| Oregon | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 17 | -1 |
| Texas | 36 | 38 | +2 |
Currently our representation in Congress and the electoral college is based on the number of people living in each state. With something as important as congressional representation and the election of a president, shouldn't the apportionment be based on the number of U.S. citizens (you know, the people that can legally vote) in each state?
This table displays the difference in the makeup of our current House of Representatives and electoral college if the 2016 citizen numbers were applied.
| State | Existing | 2016 Citizens | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 53 | 50 | -3 |
| Colorado | 7 | 8 | +1 |
| Florida | 27 | 27 | 0 |
| Illinois | 18 | 17 | -1 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 7 | +1 |
| Michigan | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Montana | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| New York | 27 | 26 | -1 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 14 | +1 |
| Oregon | 5 | 6 | +1 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| Texas | 36 | 36 | 0 |
Why not rejuggle the House of Representatives based on the number of citizens? Federal tax dollars are also dispersed based on the number of people in each state. There is no reason however that the distribution of the House of Representatives and electoral college have to be based on the same formula as the distribution of federal funds that are needed by states. In my opinion, the makeup of the House and electoral college should be based on the distribution of citizens without the impact of the non-citizen population.