A political firestorm is brewing as a key House committee, led by Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has launched a scathing investigation into the Census Bureau’s overcounts and undercounts that appear to disproportionately benefit Democrats in the apportionment of congressional seats and Electoral College votes.
The 2020 census, marred by significant counting errors according to a post-enumeration survey (PES) conducted by the bureau itself, is now under the microscope. At stake is nothing less than the balance of power in Congress and future presidential elections.
In a bold letter addressed to Census Bureau Director Robert Santos, Chairman Comer demanded accountability, pointing directly to communications between the bureau, the Biden-Harris administration, and the Commerce Department.
Comer is raising alarms over what he calls a "failed" census that has altered the political landscape, unfairly disadvantaging Republican-leaning states while boosting Democratic strongholds.
Comer’s letter highlights the stark contrast between the 2020 census and its 2010 predecessor, which was free of such glaring miscounts.
The PES revealed statistical overcounts in key Democratic states, such as New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Delaware, Minnesota, and even the battleground state of Ohio.
In contrast, Republican-leaning states such as Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Illinois were undercounted. These errors, Comer asserts, have had a direct impact on congressional apportionment, robbing states of the representation they deserve.
“Even relatively small differences in population count can affect congressional representation, as a single congressional seat cannot be divided among multiple states,” Comer wrote in his letter to Santos.
Comer made it clear that these miscounts are the decisive factor in determining whether a state gains or loses a seat in the House of Representatives. This, in turn, affects each state’s representation in the Electoral College.
A Clear Partisan Pattern
The clear partisan pattern they reveal makes these miscounts even more troubling. Six of the eight states that were overcounted in the 2020 census have consistently voted for Democratic presidential candidates over the last three decades. In contrast, five of the six undercounted states have typically supported Republicans in national elections. This disparity is more than a mere statistical anomaly—it suggests a deeply flawed census skewed to favor one political party over another.
As a result of these errors, Democratic-leaning Colorado gained an extra seat it likely didn’t deserve, while Rhode Island and Minnesota were allowed to retain seats they should have lost. Meanwhile, Republican-leaning states like Texas and Florida were denied the additional representation they should have been awarded based on population growth. Comer says these inaccuracies have “likely led to an erroneous apportionment of representatives among the states,” and the impact extends far beyond the next election cycle.
Investigating the Census Bureau’s Role
Comer’s letter to Director Santos demands transparency from the Census Bureau, including its communications with the Biden-Harris administration and the Commerce Department. Comer’s investigation underscores the potential for serious repercussions, not just for the 2020 census but for the future integrity of the Census Bureau and the decennial count.
The Census Bureau has so far remained silent.
How could such critical miscounts have occurred in states with such clear partisan leanings? Were these errors purely accidental, or was there some level of political interference or negligence?
Undermining the Foundations of Representation
The apportionment errors exposed by the 2020 census are not just statistical quirks—they have real consequences for the political landscape of the United States, favoring Democrats in a way that appears anything but coincidental.
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