Counting Heads: The Decennial Census and Adjustments to Enumeration

Authors

Jay E. Town, Former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and current Vice President and General Counsel at Gray Analytics

Document Type

Essay

Abstract

The 2020 Decennial Census has become a lightning rod for litigious civil rights organizations, state attorneys general, and even members of Congress. At stake is the apportionment of representatives in the House of Representatives and the Electoral College divided amongst the several states. Furthermore, the “headcount” determines the allotment of $1.5 trillion in nondiscretionary federal dollars to be distributed to the various states based on the persons who are counted in each. The headcount is also used in redistricting of congressional districts. Make no mistake, litigation surrounds the manner in which the census arrives at its headcount after every census. The 2020 installment will be no different, but the stakes are as high as they have ever been.

Recommended Citation

Jay E. Town, Counting Heads: The Decennial Census and Adjustments to Enumeration, 96 Notre Dame L. Rev. Reflection 107 (2021).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/ndlr_online/vol96/iss3/1