Lani Guinier tried to explain how the prison-census-voter link worked and I have been explaining

this to DUers for a long time. This is precisely the reason Dr. Guinier was not able to become AG under Clinton when he was forced to back down from her appointment to appease the RW pols. (Never quite forgave him for this move). This relation between prisoners and the census is the primary reason that so many red states and red jurisdictions fight to have prisons built within their districts.

Prisoners count as residents for census purposes thereby entitling more Congressional representation for those districts BUT the prisoners are not allowed to vote. Blue districts and states have lost representation as prisons have been moved and built outside those districts. It is amazing how politically ignorant American voters are about what is going on around them. And the media does a good job of not exposing so many of these ploys. We are lucky to be no worse off than we are, America.

http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/guinier/