ACLU Comment on Census Redistricting Data Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 12, 2021

CONTACT: Rotimi Adeoye, radeoye@aclu.org

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Census Bureau provided the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with population counts to use in their redrawing of the electoral district boundaries for representation in Congress, state legislatures, and many county and municipal offices — a process known as “redistricting.”

Sophia Lin Lakin, Deputy Director of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, said:

“Today is the official start of the once-in-a-decade redistricting process, which will determine the allocation of political power and representation at every level of government across the country for the next ten years. As state legislatures embark on this endeavor, they must ensure fair and equal representation for all. Voters should pick their politicians — not the other way around. The U.S. Constitution requires states to apportion their electoral districts according to the ‘one person, one vote’ mandate of the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and bars states from intentionally relegating voters of color into districts that minimize their political power. In addition, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits the drawing of district lines that dilute the voting strength of communities of color.

“As redistricting begins nationwide, the ACLU will continue to monitor state legislatures and independent commissions across the country to ensure they heed these fundamental principles of democracy, representation, and equality.”