I usually don’t publish and respond to anonymous email that comes in, but I just received a message that almost perfectly sums up the talking points of the supporters of prison-based gerrymandering. While I can’t confirm it’s authenticity beyond the fact that it was sent from upstate New York, this is an illustration of some of the misunderstandings that underlie the debate about ending prison-based gerrymandering in the state:
Census Bureau commits to a new data product that will enable states and counties to avoid prison-based gerrymandering.
February 10, 2010
For Immediate Release
February 10, 2010
Bureau’s Action Is First Step Toward Ending Prison-Based Gerrymandering
Contact: Jeanine Plant-Chirlin, Brennan Center for Justice, (212) 998-6289, jeanine.plant-chirlin@nyu.edu Tim Rusch, Demos, (212) 389-1407, trusch@demos.org Peter Wagner, Prison Policy Initiative (413) 527-0845
New York, NY— This week, the Census Bureau has agreed to produce a new data product that will assist state and local governments in avoiding prison-based gerrymandering, whereby districts that contain prisons are given extra representation in the legislature. The move was commended by a national network of advocates working to reform state redistricting practices, including the Prison Policy Initiative, Demos, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), and The National Coalition.
It's time New York demanded the census do what it was intended to do: Count the populations of its real communities, not tamper with its political scales.
Glenn Martin has a great letter to the editor in last week’s Albany Times Union (February 5, 2010):
Don’t Politicize The Census
While sparsely populated upstate needs all the legislative representation it can muster, this representation must not come at the expense of destitute urban communities whose problems already stem from a disproportionate lack of resources and advocacy.
Census guidelines allow upstate prison communities to count nonvoting inmates as residents in order to increase legislative representation, while the prisoners’ underserved hometown communities lose out (“Inmate census rule criticized,” Jan. 29).
State parole laws dictate that upon release, prisoners must return to the county of their conviction — which is usually the county of their last known address. By this logic, inmates should be counted as residents of that county throughout incarceration, even if their prison is located upstate.
Rebutting misinformation, I explain in a letter to the editor that revising the Census and drawing fair districts would not affect a prison town's funding.
A state-wide campaign is underway to end prison-based gerrymandering in New York State. Unfortunately, a misinformation campaign threatens those efforts. Today, the Elmira Star-Gazette in upstate New York printed my letter to the editor:
Mayor Tonello is concerned that a bill to change how prisoners are counted for redistricting purposes would hurt Elmira’s budget. [" Officials: Changing how census counts inmates would hurt region", February 1] This concern is misplaced.
"Did you know that your vote counts more if you live near a prison? That's what the census says." Andrew Paley reports on our Illinois research in Medill Reports.
A vote in Somerset County Maryland means that ending prison-based gerrymandering is getting closer.
An NAACP- and ACLU-led group of county leaders and community members, called the Somerset County Task Force on Diversity, has called for the county to explore the possibility of disregarding the population at the state prison when the county next updates its county legislative lines after the 2010 Census. In a 4-1 vote, the County Commission endorsed the Task Force’s recommendations.
This afternoon, the Wisconsin Assembly held a hearing on AJR63 [PDF], the Census Adjustment Amendment, today. The video and audio of the Assembly Committee on Elections and Campaign Reform hearing is available online courtesy of Wisconsin Eye (start at 57:37 in). The amendment would prohibit the state and local governments from using prison populations to pad legislative districts.
A new report on prison-based gerrymandering in Illinois examines how the Census Bureau's prison miscount harms democracy in the state and county government.
February 2, 2010
Census Bureau counts Illinois prisoners in wrong place; access to democracy distorted
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — The 2010 Census is rapidly approaching, but an old error threatens the count, charges a new report by the non-profit Prison Policy Initiative. The report, Importing Constituents: Prisoners and Political Clout in Illinois, explains that the U.S. Census counts people incarcerated in state and federal prisons as residents of the prison location, and that creates big problems for democracy at both the state and local level. “Crediting Chicago’s population to downstate prisons changes the balance of power in Illinois and within rural counties,” said Executive Director and report co-author Peter Wagner.
We’ve added a page of materials for people organizing against prison-based gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Included is information about the reform efforts, background materials and 16 fact sheets.
The Campaign to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering in New York got a big start with a press conference and meeting in New York City today. See the press coverage and videos.
The Campaign to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering in New York got a big start with a press conference and meeting in New York City today. Please add other news stories and videos to the comments and I’ll edit this post. These are the first 5 items:
Inmate census rule criticized Bill proposes counting prisoners in their home communities instead of where they’re jailed, by Bryan Fitzgerald, Albany Times-Union, january 29, 2010
