Take Action: Fix the Census Prisoner Miscounts

by Alex DiBranco · 2009-12-25 12:44:00 UTC
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When the census-takers come a-knocking, they need to make sure that they count prisoners as residents of the area they call home, not of the jails where they temporarily find themselves.

As so many issues do, the matter boils down to a question of who has the power and where the cash is going. The predominantly rural areas where prisons are located get an artificial population bump, while the cities many inmates hail from get the short end of the stick, which translates into less funding a fewer elected representatives. The system stays in place, however, because representatives from districts where the bulk of the population is comprised of non-voting incarcerated persons don't want to lose their positions.

This political gerrymandering is unacceptable. Tell Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to fix the census prisoner miscounts for next year.

Alex DiBranco
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