Adjusting the Census: Little Difference
If the two sides trying to force changes in the 1990 census both get their way, the results would nearly balance one another, a population expert said Wednesday. The Census Bureau is under pressure to exclude illegal aliens from its national head count. Traditionally, it counts everyone living in the country. Groups which have filed suit to ignore the aliens contend large concentrations of them could result in in some states gaining seats in the House of Representatives at the expense of other states. Meanwhile, other groups want the final census totals to be increased to account for people who may be overlooked in the census _ most often blacks and Hispanics living in urban areas. At stake are the 435 seats in the House, which are distributed among the states on the basis of population. ``If both sides get their way, the only change would be a flip-flop of one seat from California to Georgia,'' said William O'Hare, director of policy studies for the independent Population Reference Bureau. O'Hare told a breakfast briefing for Northeast and Midwest members of Congress that he estimates their region will lose 14 House seats following the 1990 census. That would continue a trend evident over the last several decades, he noted. Using estimates of the number of illegal aliens and undercounted minorities, he said that deleting the one group and adding in the other would make little difference in the long run. The only change, he said, would be that California would gain five new seats instead of six, while Georgia would add two rather than just one. ``That's easy to understand, since there are so many undocumented aliens in California,'' he commented. O'Hare's study of potential changes in House seats _ based on 1990 projections with no adjustments _ calls for California to be the big gainer, adding six House seats, followed by Florida with a gain of four and Texas adding three. Expected to pick up one seat each are Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Arizona. On the other hand New York would lose three seats. States losing two apiece would be Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. Expected to lose one house seat are Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, West Virginia and Montana.
1990 census;national head count;census bureau;house seats;illegal aliens