What is the Census?
The census is an official count of the people in the United States every ten years. It is important to know how many people reside in the U.S., by state, and by racial/ethnic category.

Why is "the count" important?
The count is important for several reasons. One � states, cities, and communities are given grants by the federal government for various projects like road/highway construction, social welfare programs, and education. Knowing the number of people who reside in particular areas is important in determining how much money is granted to these areas. Two, the census is important for reapportionment and redistricting.

What is reapportionment?
The number of people who reside in each state must be counted to determine how many representatives a state can send to the U.S. House of Representatives. Every state sends two people to the U.S. Senate. That is why there are 100 senators. But, states send different numbers of people to the U.S. House of Representatives. The number of seats a state has in the U.S. House of Representatives is based on that state�s population. Therefore, in order to know how many people a state may elect to the U.S. House of Representatives, the number of people in each state must be counted.

This is basically the concept of reapportionment. The population in some states declines while the population in some other states may increase. If a state declines in population significantly their number of representatives may be reduced. For example, based on the 1990 Census Kansas and Kentucky both lost one representative. If a state�s population increases they may gain one or more representatives. Florida provides a good example of this. Based on the 1990 Census, Florida�s population increased significantly [probably due to the fact that many people retire there and the climate.] Therefore, they gained 4 additional representatives. So, the larger a state is the more representatives it has. This can only be determined through an official count � the census.

What is redistricting?
Redistricting is a bit more complicated. Once we know how many people a state can elect to the U.S. House of Representatives, then we must determine how to elect them. In 1967, the federal government ordered that each representative must come from a one-seat district in that state. Michigan, for example, can send 16 individuals to the U.S. House of Representatives [based on their population after the 1990 census.] Therefore, Michigan has to draw sixteen different districts and one person is elected from each district. Every state must draw their own districts after they know how many to draw. Based on the census, we know how many representatives each state has. Maryland has 8 people in the U.S. House of Representatives. So after the 1990 Census, Maryland had to draw eight different districts and elect one person from each district. Again, every ten years [after the census] every state must do this. We can�t know how many to draw until we count the people � that�s another reason why we have the census!

Who draws these districts?
The state legislature in each state must draw the districts after the census.

Is this a complicated process?
YES! It is not easy to determine where to draw these districts. Plus, it is mandatory that each district must be roughly equal in population, they cannot be "bizarre-looking" [basically, their shapes cannot be odd due to the consideration of race when drawing them] and they must be compact and contiguous [the district cannot be separated by other districts or be in different areas of the state and disjointed.] In short, this is a very political process which helps to make it so contentious.

Why is this important in the struggle for voting rights?
The way the district is drawn is extremely important. Minority groups often find themselves living in districts where they are less than 40% of the population. If the district has a degree of racial hostility then they [minority groups] may never have the opportunity to elect someone that they feel can best represent their interest.

Why not draw a district where the minority in question is the majority?
After the Voting Rights Act of 1965 many states drew majority-black districts where African Americans were at least 65% of the population. With these types of districts, African Americans felt comfortable and confident that they could elect someone to represent their interest fairly. Majority-black districts have been the reason significant African Americans have been elected to Congress. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that states may not use race as the predominate factor in drawing these districts. Many lawsuits have been filed charging that states drew bizarre districts just to get a black majority. This is an ongoing struggle in voting rights policy.

Alternative election systems like cumulative voting, limited voting, and choice voting have helped minority candidates get elected in a number of areas in the United States. The use of an alternative system aids in the redistricting process because it actually avoids the need to redraw district lines every ten years.

The census also gives us information regarding race and ethnicity. If states want to look at the racial categories in districts then they will have the information from the latest census. This is yet another reason why it is so important to complete the census survey and make sure you are counted. In the 2000 Census individuals will be able to mark several categories for their race/ethnicity. Although this is important to many people and how they regard themselves, some groups are skeptical because they don�t really know how states will use this type of data with reference to redistricting. So, keep reading the newspapers, view the census website periodically, attend meetings, ask questions � stay informed!