LWV joined other census and redistricting champions in calling for the recission of EO 13380, which mandated the Census Bureau creation of a block-level citizenship database. This database could cause serious havoc in the 2021 redistricting process in states throughout the country. It is imperative that President Biden direct the Census Bureau to cease work on this.
January 20, 2021
The Honorable Ron Klain
White House Chief of Staff
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. Klain:
We write as stakeholders in the 2021 state and local redistricting process. The undersigned will play different roles, but we all expect to participate in redistricting in various states this year. We write to urge President-elect Biden to rescind Executive Order 13380 (July 11, 2019) as soon as possible after he assumes office on January 20. We also urge the Biden Administration concomitantly to direct the Census Bureau to immediately cease all activities to create the block-level database of United States citizenship mandated by that Executive Order.
Although we all expect a substantial delay in the Bureau’s release of the P.L. 94-171 redistricting data because of the difficulties created by the pandemic and the outgoing administration’s attempts to manipulate the 2020 Census count, we nonetheless believe that it is imperative to act swiftly to prevent further work on the creation of a block-level citizenship database. We are all concerned that the continued creation of such a database and the potential release, whether by legal compulsion or otherwise, of such a database, no matter how partial or flawed, could cause serious havoc in the 2021 redistricting process in a number of states throughout the country.
If you have any questions about this matter, please feel free to contact Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF ([email protected]), Terry Ao Minnis, Senior Director of Census and Voting Programs, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC ([email protected]), or any of the undersigned. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
See Attached Letter for Full List of Signatories
The Latest from the League
Late Tuesday the Trump Administration announced the 2020 Census forms will be printed without a citizenship question. The announcement came days after the Supreme Court blocked the question.
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee continues to explore the proposal of a question related to citizenship on the 2020 Census.
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