Census Data Will Arrive Next Week, Setting Up Redistricting Fight

Politics|In a cardinal infinitesimal for the 2022 midterms, census redistricting information volition get adjacent week.

• Aug. 5, 2021, 5:02 p.m. ET

After a lengthy delay, the Census Bureau volition merchandise the information utilized to redraw legislature and authorities legislative boundaries adjacent Thursday, Aug. 12, the bureau said successful a statement, mounting up what is definite to beryllium a highly contentious nationwide combat implicit redistricting earlier the midterm elections adjacent year.

The census information had been delayed mostly due to the fact that of difficulties successful collecting and processing the tremendous magnitude of accusation amid the coronavirus pandemic, but besides due to the fact that of efforts by President Donald J. Trump to meddle with the census by adjusting its timing and trying to adhd a citizenship question.

Both the pandemic and Mr. Trump’s actions person near immoderate radical questioning the census’ accuracy. The statement implicit the citizenship question, successful particular, has raised worries astir imaginable suppression of the information of Latino communities.

The hold forced galore states to hold their redistricting plans, which volition astir apt pb to a compressed, scrambled process with elevated stakes. There is increasing content successful Washington that the equilibrium of powerfulness successful the House of Representatives aft the 2022 midterm elections volition beryllium mostly connected the results of the redistricting process.

Multiple battleground states, including Florida, Texas and North Carolina, are set to summation astatine slightest 1 caller legislature seat, arsenic are Colorado, Montana and Oregon. Seven states volition suffer a seat: New York, California, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Illinois.

Potential House and Senate candidates person besides been forced to support their governmental ambitions frozen successful amber arsenic they hold to spot whether redistricting volition impact their quality to clasp connected to a existent seat, unfastened up an accidental to tally for a recently drawn seat, oregon different alteration their calculus for seeking a peculiar office.