Syracuse Post-Standard endorses bill to end prison-based gerrymandering

The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York, has endorsed ending prison-based gerrymandering in New York State with a strong editorial:

by Peter Wagner, February 25, 2010

The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New York, has endorsed ending prison-based gerrymandering in New York State with a strong editorial:

Legislation would stop ‘prison-based gerrymandering’

By The Post-Standard Editorial Board
February 24, 2010

Cayuga County is the temporary home of more than 2,500 people who don’t want to live there. They live inside the state prisons in Auburn and Moravia and, as such, have little or nothing to do with county life and use few if any county services. All but a relative handful of them — 24 as of Jan. 1 — lived outside the county before they were sent off to prison.

Yet for the purposes of the U.S. Census, those inmates are considered Cayuga County residents. The Census numbers beef up the government aid the county receives and add to the county’s political clout because they are used when legislative districts are redrawn.

Both of those practices are unfair. Most of the inmates in Upstate prisons come from poor, urban communities. They have families in those communities and will eventually return to them — and use county services. Onondaga County, for example, has no state prisons, but currently has about 1,900 people serving time in prisons in other counties. That’s 1,900 people who will not be counted as Onondaga County residents in the Census.

Mary Sanchez highlights prison-based gerrymandering in Kansas

by Aleks Kajstura, February 18, 2010

In “Counting prisoners is an issue for us all,” Mary Sanchez, of the Kansas City Star, writes that “elected officials wind up with constituents to whom they don’t have to answer at the ballot box.”

In all but two states, felons in prison can’t vote. So the standard of one person, one vote is distorted by building legislative districts based on head counts of people who can’t cast ballots, and where many only temporarily live via a prison sentence.

Recently, the Census Bureau announced that it will release data on group quarters, which include prisons, earlier than usual – in May 2011. This new data will give state and local governments the choice to account for their prison populations when drawing district lines for the next decade.

Rep. William Lacy Clay, chairman of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census & National Archives, led the charge for the change. …

“The impact of this decision is enormous. States and local governments will now have the opportunity to do the right thing and prevent the overrepresentation of areas where prisons are located,” according to Clay.

The operative words are “have the opportunity.” States don’t have to do anything after the prison counts by the census are released in May 2011.

But they ought to do what upholds democracy.

Democracy is not a zero-sum game

We have to stop framing census reform as a zero-sum game of funding. It's a democracy issue about the state constitution, and its an issue where almost everyone has something to gain from reform. Partisan and regional conflict makes for great press, but it's not going to build a better society.

by Peter Wagner, February 16, 2010

Professor Jamie Baker Roskie asks on the Land Use Prof Blog if there is a solution to the urban/rural and black/white split over how the Census Bureau should count incarcerated people. Introduced to the issue by an NPR story that (with the help of partisans in both places) sets the issue as a fight over limited resources, she asks if “some happy medium can be found”.

It’s a great question, and the answer is easy:

We have to stop framing census reform as a zero-sum game of funding. It’s a democracy issue about the state constitution, and its an issue where almost everyone has something to gain from reform. Partisan and regional conflict makes for great press, but it’s not going to build a better society.

See my comment on her post for my full explanation.

Count This As a Big Step Forward

Justin Levitt at the Brennan Center for Justice says the Census Bureau's new prison count data is a big step forward for democracy.

by Peter Wagner, February 14, 2010

Justin Levitt at the Brennan Center for Justice has a great new article explaining the importance for redistricting of the Census Bureau’s change in how the prison count data will be published:

• Count This As a Big Step Forward

Rep. Clay applauds Census Bureau decision to change reporting procedure for prisoners

Rep Clay says Census Bureau is giving state and local governments an opportunity to stand up for fairness and justice.

by Peter Wagner, February 13, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 12, 2010
MEDIA CONTACT:
STEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029

Says Decision Will Improve Accuracy, Restore Fairness, Reverse a Historic Injustice

WASHINGTON — Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census & National Archives has negotiated a ground-breaking agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau that will change how census counts of prisoners are reported to state and local governments. The policy change, which moves up the date when counts of incarcerated populations are reported, could potentially result in increased urban and suburban representation in state legislatures and local governments.

“I want to commend U.S. Census Director Dr. Robert Groves and his staff for acting to improve accuracy, restore fairness and reverse historic patterns of injustice that have been applied to prisoners for many years,” said Chairman Clay. “The impact of this decision is enormous. States and local governments will now have the opportunity to do the right thing and prevent the overrepresentation of areas where prisons are located.”

News roundup

by Peter Wagner, February 13, 2010

The Census Bureau’s decision to change how census counts of prisoners are reported to state and local governments is getting a lot of press. Samples include:

• Prisons, Redistricting and the Census New York Times editorial, February 11, 2010
• States get new leeway to tally prisoners in census, by Hope Yen, Associated Press, February 11, 2010
• New Option for the States on Inmates in the Census, by Sam Roberts, New York Times, February 11, 2010
• Reformers Score a Census Victory…by Skipping Prisoners? by Matt Kelley, Change.org, February 11, 2010

Glenn Martin says New York should demand Census reform

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.

by Peter Wagner, February 9, 2010

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.

Census engaged in ‘prison-based gerrymandering,’ report says

"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.

by Peter Wagner, February 6, 2010

Andrew Paley has a great story about our prison-based gerrymandering in Illinois report in Medill Reports::

Census engaged in ‘prison-based gerrymandering,’ report says.
BY ANDREW PALEY
Did you know that your vote counts more if you live near a prison? That’s what the census says.

Wisconsin organizing materials added

Added a page of organizing materials to support eliminating prison-based gerrymandering in Wisconsin.

by Peter Wagner, February 1, 2010

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.

New York Campaign Kickoff Press Coverage

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.

by Peter Wagner, January 28, 2010

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
• Inmates’ Stock Is Rising in Albany District Fight by Jeremy W. Peters, New York TImes January 28, 2010
• Where should Census count inmates?, by Cristian Salazar, Associated Press, January 28, 2010
• Democrats seek to remove prison population from Census, by Joseph Spector, Star Gazette, January 28, 2010