Kansas proves adjusting Census is possible

by Peter Wagner, November 17, 2003

The experience in Kansas shows that it is practical to adjust the Census data to reflect state residents at their home, rather than Census, addresses. If the federal Census does not change how it counts special populations, it is not necessary for a state to entirely abandon the federal census. Kansas switched from its own state census to the federal census with one exception: Kansas does a special census of students and military personnel so it can change how they are counted in the data used for redistricting. Expanding this practice to prisoners should be quite simple.

The Kansas Constitution requires that redistricting be based on Census data adjusted to:

• exclude non-resident students and military personnel and
• transfer in-state students and military personnel back to their home addresses elsewhere in Kansas.