Edwards, Davidson re-introduce bill to stop illegal immigrant influence in Americans’ congressional representation

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) re-introduced the Equal Representation Act to prohibit the influence of illegal immigrants in Americans’ congressional representation.

Congressman Warren Davidson (OH-08) is co-leading this legislation.

The Equal Representation Act addresses one of the many consequences of the Biden administration’s open border policies, which allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour into the United States, increasing the non-citizen population.

The 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are divided among each state by population, and states with more residents are allotted more representatives and states with less residents are allotted less representatives.

Illegal immigrants are included in the total population count that determines how many representatives a state receives, or is apportioned. A 2020 Pew Research study found that based on 2020 Census data, Texas, Florida, and California would each lose one congressional seat if unauthorized immigrants were not included in apportionment, and Alabama, Minnesota, and Ohio would each gain one congressional seat.

The bill requires a citizenship question to be included in all future decennial censuses and prohibits non-citizens from being included in the population count that determines the number of congressional seats each state is allotted. Lastly, the bill will require that all data gathered from the citizenship question be publicly reported.

“America will be paying the consequences of the previous administration’s open border policies for decades to come. Mass illegal immigration has already diluted the voice of American citizens in the U.S. House and Electoral College. The Equal Representation Act will reverse these problems by asking a very simple question on the U.S. Census, ‘Are you a citizen of the United States?’  said Edwards. “Americans deserve fair and equal representation, something that will not be possible until we eliminate the influence of noncitizens in our elections.”

Edwards first introduced the Equal Representation Act in the 118th Congress, which passed the U.S. House by a vote of 206-202. Heritage Action issued the bill as a key vote by considering cosponsorship of this legislation in its legislative scorecard, and is supporting the bill again this Congress.

"The Equal Representation Act puts voting power back in the hands of the American people and ensures the census can't be used to cheat hardworking Americans out of the representation they deserve. Members of Congress represent U.S. citizens, not foreigners,"said Davidson. "I am proud of the work my colleague Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) and I did to pass this legislation in the House of Representatives last Congress, and I am proud to be re-introducing this bill again with him. I urge the 119th Congress to pass this legislation so only American citizens are represented by our federal government."

Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker said, "Counting illegal aliens and other noncitizens in the U.S. Census cheats Americans out of the fair and accurate representation they deserve. The Equal Representation Act is a vital solution that puts voting power back into the hands of the American people and ensures that decisions on redistricting and Congressional representation are based solely on their needs. Heritage Action commends Rep. Edwards for putting Americans first and preventing radical leaders from maintaining their political power through people they are not elected to represent."