Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to be deposed about plan to rig 2020 census

To make it even more clear, by undercounting people of certain backgrounds, you artificially inflate and deflate populations for the purposes of federal funding and representation in the House of Representatives. While the total number of representatives is capped at 435, they can get reapportioned among the states and within states based on the decennial census. This also affects the size and shapes of districts within states. So, because of Ross' shenanigans, higher population liberal areas will have their seats given to Republicans instead due to the gaming of the census.

Although the actual reapportionment will normally occur in respect of a decennial census, the law that governs the total number of representatives and the method of apportionment to be carried into force at that time can be created prior to the census.

The decennial apportionment also determines the size of each state's representation in the U.S. Electoral College. Under Article II, Section 1, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution, any state's number of electors equals the size of its total congressional delegation (House and Senate seats).

Federal law requires the Clerk of the House of Representatives to notify each state government of its entitled number of seats no later than January 25 of the year immediately following the census. After seats have been reapportioned, each state determines the boundaries of congressional districts—geographical areas within the state of approximately equal population—in a process called redistricting.[4] Any citizen of the State can challenge the constitutionality of the redistricting in their US district court.[5][not in citation given]

Because the deadline for the House Clerk to report the results does not occur until the following January, and the states need sufficient time to perform the redistricting, the decennial census does not affect the elections that are held during that same year. For example, the electoral college apportionment during 2000 presidential election was still based on the 1990 census results. Likewise, the congressional districts and the electoral college during the 2020 general elections will still be based on the 2010 census.

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