California Would Lose Seats Under Census Change

Sen David Vitter's proposal to count only United States citizens when reapportioning Congress would cost California five seats and New York and Illinois one each, according to an independent analysis of census data released Tuesday. Texas, which is projected to gain three seats after the 2010 census, would get only one. The proposed change would spare Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania the expected loss of one seat each. Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon and South Carolina would each gain a seat. If every resident — citizens and noncitizens alike — is counted in 2010, as the Census Bureau usually does, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Utah would gain one seat each and Texas would get three, the analysis found. Losing one seat each would be Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to the analysis of census data through 2008 by demographers at Queens College of the City University of New York. Appealing to his colleagues in states with fewer noncitizens, Sen Vitter (R-LA) warned this month that a vote against his proposal would "strip these states of their proper representation in Congress," while including noncitizens would "artificially increase the population count" in other states. Vitter's proposal, which would generally benefit nonurban areas where Republicans tend to dominate, could also affect reapportionment within each state.