Impact of Census on Congressional Elections

Members of the national Republican and Democratic party committees discussed realignment and reapportionment of congressional districts following the 1990 census in the forum entitled “The Impact of the 1990 Census on Congressional Elections,” sponsored by American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Elections. The methods used to count Americans in the 1990 census were controversial, with many critics claiming thousands of homeless citizens were undercounted in urban areas. The census count of a population affects both the number of funds for social services directed toward urban areas and the size of congressional districts, which are supposed to be roughly equal in population. Debates continue over how district lines should be drawn to create relatively equal populations in national and state congressional districts, and how much population may vary between districts while keeping the population levels “equal.” close