Cosponsored with Associated Grant Makers, Bauman Foundation, Economic Opportunity Funders, Environmental Grantmakers Association, Forefront, Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation, Funders Together to End Homelessness, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, Hispanics in Philanthropy, National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, Philanthropy New York, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders, and United Philanthropy Forum
The Census Bureau has proposed the addition of a Citizenship Status Question to the 2020 Census and indicated that data will be included in the transfer of census counts to states for the purposes of redistricting. Two state legislatures have already considered bills to require that state legislative reapportionment and redistricting be based on citizen totals rather than full population totals. Additional states may follow suit. Drawing local, state, and congressional districts using citizen-only data or voting age data could deprive communities of effective representation and of the economic benefits that often comes with that representation. This discussion explored:
- how census data is used in congressional, state, and local redistricting, and the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court case Evenwel v. Abbott;
- how efforts to draw out non-citizens or non-voters could affect the democratic process; and
- what needs to be done to ensure communities are represented.