A New Delay for Census Numbers Could Scramble Congressional Elections
Census data needed for legislative districts won’t be ready until September. Could that alter the balance of power in the House?
If Illinois cannot approve district maps by Sept. 1, the State Constitution shifts mapmaking power from the Democratic-controlled Legislature to a bipartisan panel.Credit.Andrew Nelles for The New York Times
Feb. 11, 2021
WASHINGTON The delivery date for the 2020 census data used in redistricting, delayed first by the coronavirus pandemic and then by the Trump administration’s interference, now is so late that it threatens to scramble the 2022 elections, including races for Congress.
UPDATE at 4:23 p.m. on Jan. 15: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Task force facilitator Lilly Irvin-Vitela.
LAS CRUCES - The last two times the state of New Mexico went through the redistricting process, a stalemate between Republican governors (Gary Johnson and Susana Martinez) and the Democratic-controlled Legislature resulted in failure.
Unable to reach an agreement, the process ended up in the courts both times, with taxpayers picking up the tab for costly legal fees more than $9 million in the two years combined.
Federal law requires political districts to be redrawn every 10 years after the Census to account for population shifts. In New Mexico, new maps need to be drawn for the three U.S. House of Representatives districts, 42 state Senate districts, 70 state House districts and 10 Public Education Commission districts.
Last week I wrote about a $25 million loan program managed by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority that lost more than $24 million over the last 19
Last week I wrote about a $25 million loan program managed by the West Virginia Economic Development Authority that lost more than $24 million over the last 19