New delays will have a significant impact on redistricting

The Census Bureau announced it needs to delay reporting deadlines on the data used for congressional apportionment and redistricting. The postponed timeline is understandable as the Census Bureau endeavors to get an accurate count despite our current public health crisis — but this delay will have a significant impact on the 2021 redistricting process.

A months-long delay will present challenges to many states — especially those holding off-year state legislative elections, those with constitutional deadlines for passing maps, and those with redistricting commissions that require adequate time for public hearings.

We need to address the consequences that this delay will have on the 2021 redistricting process if we want to preserve the principle of “one person, one vote” for future elections. Tell Congress, individual state governments, state legislators, and our federal executive branch to take action. Add your name to support the following guidelines:

• Allocate the Census Bureau resources to prioritize collecting and processing core census data
• Release census data on a rolling basis to prioritize states with early elections and redistricting deadlines
• Allocate any needed additional congressional funding to support the Census Bureau’s efforts to collect and process data
• Conduct state redistricting processes in a transparent manner despite potential expedited timelines
• Ensure new maps are in place in a state before any post-census elections are held in that state