Legislation approved by the House of Representatives seeks to reinstate a question about U.S. citizenship in the 2030 census, potentially impacting congressional representation and the Electoral College. The Equal Representation Act, championed by Republican Representatives Chuck Edwards of North Carolina and Warren Davidson of Ohio, passed with a 206-202 vote, with the Senate version sponsored by Republican Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, receiving significant support from Republicans in a March vote. The bill's proponents argue that with the presence of millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S., exacerbated by border policies under the Biden administration, it is crucial to ensure that only American citizens are counted in the census to protect electoral power and fair congressional representation.
The citizenship question, present in almost every census from 1820 to 2000, was removed from the 2010 census under the Obama administration and faced attempts at restoration by the Trump administration for the 2020 census, which were later rejected by the Supreme Court. The Equal Representation Act, if enacted, would mandate the inclusion of the citizenship question in the 2030 census and all future decennial censuses. Advocates of the bill, like Heritage Action, an independent partner of The Heritage Foundation, emphasize the importance of safeguarding the electoral power of American citizens and preventing illegal immigrants from influencing elections or congressional representation.
Republican lawmakers supporting the Equal Representation Act argue that under the current system, noncitizens should not be able to affect electoral outcomes or redistricting processes. The bill's supporters contend that illegal immigrants cannot legally vote and, therefore, should not be included in the census count for determining federal representation. While the House version of the bill gathered a significant number of co-sponsors and committee approval, the Senate faced a closer vote with the legislation ultimately failing 51-45, with most Republicans in support and only one Republican voting against it.
5 Comments
Matzomaster
It’s important to remember that illegal immigrants broke the law by entering the country illegally.
Rotfront
We need to stand up and say no to this discriminatory and undemocratic bill.
Karamba
The Supreme Court ruled against the previous attempt due to procedural issues, not the question itself.
Muchacho
Instead of focusing on divisive tactics, Republicans should address the actual issues facing the country, like the economy and healthcare.
MegaMaga
Democrats are trying to silence the concerns of citizens worried about unfair representation.