Americans got a full look at USA racial and ethnic makeup as the U.S. Census Bureau revealed data following its decennial survey.
The U.S. Census Bureau held a news conference to release of the first local-level results from the 2020 Census. States use these data on race, Hispanic origin, and the voting-age population to redraw the boundaries of their congressional and local legislative districts.
The Census Bureau issues a detailed portrait of how the U.S. has changed over the past decade, showing the white population is aging, and falling to its smallest share on record. The demographic data in the census will be used to redraw political maps across an increasingly diverse country. The numbers could help determine control of the U.S. House in the 2022 elections and provide an electoral edge for the next decade. https://apnews.com/article/census-2020-house-elections-4ee80e72846c151a…
These long-awaited district-level results will set off the most litigious, bruising, and consequential redistricting battle in American history.
Experts say the data will reflect the expansion of the Hispanic, Black, and Asian American populations, as well as the growing number of multiracial groups. The results from the 2020 Census, taken amid the pandemic and partisan sniping about the politicization of the process, are meant to be a snapshot of the population as of April 1, 2020. States use the information to determine legislative and congressional districts – and the Electoral College votes that come with them.
The U.S. Census Bureau provides the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with population counts to use in their redrawing of congressional and state legislative district boundaries—a process known as “redistricting.” The Census Bureau will release the same data in easier-to-use formats on or before September 30, 2021.
While the states are responsible for legislative redistricting, the Census Bureau provides the most accurate population counts possible for the geographic areas the states need. Therefore, it is Christmas in August for all political and geography nerds.
