LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The roller coaster that has been the once-a-decade U.S. Census will come to an early end today, despite the failure to reach many tribal communities because of the COVID-19 health crisis.

Census workers were in what's known as the "non-response follow-up phase," knocking on people's doors, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the Trump administration could shut down the count early.

A consortium of advocacy groups, cities, counties and tribes sued to maintain the Oct. 31 deadline.

Jessica Imotichey is a census partnership coordinator for the Nevada area.

"This is primarily about apportionment for the House of Representatives," Imotichey explained. "So it really is about representation, having your voice heard and represented in Congress."

Critics believe the court's ruling will now allow President Donald Trump time to alter the count while in office, by excluding unauthorized immigrants from the numbers used to reallocate congressional seats and Electoral College votes for the next 10 years.

Tribal communities have suffered disproportionate cases of COVID-19. Health repercussions led the Trump administration to extend the count through Oct. 31, but its sudden, later reversal prompted court battles.

Imotichey explained how a possible undercount of tribal communities could negatively affect their lives.

"Tribes often run their own housing programs, they have their own health-care centers and clinics," Imotichey noted. "They maintain the roads on the reservations, so transportation dollars are at stake."

In the 2010 Census, American Indians and the Alaska Native population living on reservations was undercounted by almost 5%, one of the highest undercounts of any group.

People can still fill out a census form online until 2:59am Pacific Time Friday morning, at 2020Census.gov.


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BOSTON -- Every ten years, after the Census, local municipalities usually draw new precinct boundaries before state lawmakers draw new voting districts, but a bill passed by both the Massachusetts House and Senate could change that.

Block-by-block Census data needed for redistricting and what's known as "reprecincting" was supposed to be available in April.

Beth Huang, executive director of the nonprofit Massachusetts Voter Table, which is part of the Drawing Democracy Coalition, said the pandemic and the former administration's politicization of the Census have delayed the data until Sep. 30.

That leaves just over a month to get the new maps ready, which Huang pointed out needs to happen at least a year before the next Election Day.

"State representatives need to live in the districts to which they're elected for a full year before the election," Huang explained. "That means that our constitutional deadline for redrawing districts is November 8th."

She added if reprecincting needs to happen before redistricting, there is no chance of having enough time to get residents' input on the new maps. How maps are drawn can affect communities' abilities to build voting coalitions to hold their officials accountable on issues that matter most to them.

To reduce historical racial gerrymandering, the Voting Rights Act includes a provision which requires states to have majority-minority districts; that is, districts where a majority of voters represent a minority racial or linguistic community.

Huang noted sometimes, cities draw precincts of vastly different sizes, which can make redistricting at the state level more difficult.

"If you have these different-sized building blocks, these different-sized precincts, and Voting Rights Act considerations at the same time, there are constraints on two different sides," Huang remarked.

She added efforts are always underway to increase public participation, and make political representation in the Commonwealth more equitable. She thinks Gov. Baker should sign the bill into law, emphasizing the importance of a transparent process.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania should get some 2020 Census data this summer, to be used in the redistricting process. But some groups want the state to put an end to what's known as prison gerrymandering

It's the policy of counting people in prison as residents where they're incarcerated, rather than where they'd otherwise be living.

A petition launched on Tuesday asks the panel in charge of redrawing the districts - the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, or LRC - to count the 37-thousand people behind bars based on where they're from.

Robert Saleem Holbrook, executive director of the Abolitionist Law Center, said prison gerrymandering is a racial justice issue.

"Because what you have is prisoners who are primarily from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chester, who are making up the bulk or disproportionate number of the state prison population in Pennsylvania," said Holbrook. "And these rural, white counties benefit from predominantly Black and Brown areas, from them being counted as residents in these prisons in these rural communities."

In a May LRC meeting, PA House Minority Leader Rep. Joanna McClinton - D-Philadelphia - who sits on the five-member panel, called on her colleagues to commit to stopping prison gerrymandering.

Carol Kuniholm, chair of the group Fair Districts PA, said prison gerrymandering goes against state election law, which says individuals in "penal institutions" should not be considered a resident of the institution's election district.

"So, our belief is, if you can't vote in the place you are incarcerated, you shouldn't be counted in the place where you're incarcerated," said Kuniholm. "That you should be counted at your last known address."

Kuniholm said she hopes the LRC addresses prison gerrymandering at its next meeting. The commission has pledged to host public hearings this summer ahead of the mapmaking process.

DEARBORN, Mich. -- The independent commission charged with drawing Michigan's new voting district maps for the next decade is seeking public comments from residents across the state, including those who can't make it to in-person hearings or don't have internet access.

Michigan's 211 statewide helpline has partnered with the commission to help folks register via telephone to give their input.

Rebecca Szetela, vice-chair of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, said hundreds of comments have been received so far, in-person and online, with thoughts on how their voting districts should be grouped.

"The lack of internet access should never be a reason for your voice not to be heard in Michigan's new and historic redistricting process," Szetela asserted.

In 2018, voters approved a ballot initiative to have an independent commission draw maps rather than legislators or other politicians, in an effort to reduce partisan gerrymandering, the practice of drawing maps to benefit incumbents or a certain political party.

Edward Woods III, communications and outreach director for the Commission, noted there is a toll-free number where voters register and make comments, but he hopes the partnership with 211 will make the process even more accessible.

He added the helpline also has translation services available in almost 200 languages.

"We're going to continue making adjustments and improvements as we see gaps, to improve our communications and outreach plan to ensure as much participation as possible," Woods pledged.

After a Thursday hearing in Dearborn, the Commission is officially halfway through its constitutionally mandated 16 public hearings.

Michigan is losing one U.S. House seat this cycle, according to the first batch of Census Bureau data released in April.