Illegals could cost congressional seats

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: UPI

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. states with large numbers of undocumented immigrants could receive additional seats in Congress after the 2010 census is conducted.

A University of Connecticut study concluded Arizona, Texas and Florida could all see their House delegations increase due to rising populations that include sizable numbers of illegal immigrants.


Read more: http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/10/02/illegals_could_cost_congressional_seats/6221/

[Kber]

1. Does an illegal immigrant count as a full person

or just 3/5ths?

[pscot]

3. Why should someone who can't vote

figure in electoral calculations?

[Gman]

4. Children can't vote and they're counted

it's population, not number of voting age people.

[Bill McBlueState]

5. maybe you should ask

the authors of the Constitution? Of course, they're all dead; that's how old this idea is.

[struggle4progress]

7. Women counted before they could vote. And slaves counted 60%

[ProudDad]

9. Because of that nasty old Constitution

"The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats ("congressional apportionment"), electoral votes, and government program funding"

"Population"...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

2. Article from The Hartford Courant

2010 Census: Who Should Count?


The big loser in the reapportionment will be the Midwest, the center says. Five states in that region are projected to lose a total of six seats, four more than they would have if illegal immigrants were not included in the census tally.

Connecticut, which lost a seat in the last reapportionment, should keep the five it now has, but the Northeast as a whole will lose four - two in New York and one each in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

There's more than congressional clout at stake in the reapportionment: It also helps determine the makeup of the Electoral College. And the census itself influences everything from federal aid to the makeup of state legislatures. So as the 2010 Census approaches, attention is turning to the issue of whether it's fair to continue counting illegal immigrants.

More at link: http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-reapportion0930.artsep30,0,1255793.story

[Gman]

6. so here comes the Republic lawsuits

that have only one destination, the SCOTUS, and next comes the constitutional amendment to force a vote on in Congress to get them on the record so the Republics can also make attack ads.

[nerddem]

8. not quite?

if you look at the states in question, overall it would hurt dems more with so many northeast states losing votes and passing them onto the southwest and florida. under one scenario california loses, under another, illinois and michigan lose, so really it sucks for us. the only silver lining is washington, and maaaayybe nevada.

[ProudDad]

10. Arizona is getting more purple every day...

We're organizing a recall kyl movement as I type...

[Gman]

11. OTOH, yes AZ would be a good thing

and I South Texas (strong Democrat) would be another place to pick up a seat, maybe 2.

[tanyev]

12. Well, there's irony for you.

The illegal immigrants the Republicans hate so much could give them more power. Are they still sure they want to ship them all home? Maybe they'll just keep talking and talking and talking about it to keep the base happy but do nothing if it is working in their favor.