WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) led their colleagues in introducing the Equal Representation Act. 

The legislation would ensure that only legal citizens are counted in determining Congressional districts and Electoral College map that determine presidential elections. Counting illegal immigrants toward voter apportionment dilutes the rights of Americans and creates a perverse incentive for open borders to boost the relative political power of states that court non-citizens.

“Democrats are undermining the rights of U.S. citizens by encouraging illegal immigrants to enter our country and skew congressional redistricting for political gain,” said Risch. “The Equal Representation Act requires that the Census Bureau include a citizenship question ensuring American values and voices take priority.”

“Only U.S. citizens should be included in Census Bureau counts to apportion congressional and Electoral College representation,” said Crapo. “This vital reform would prevent states like California and New York from padding their population totals with those here illegally to tip the scales and boost their political power in Washington, D.C.”

“It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants and non-citizens are counted toward congressional district apportionment and our electoral map for the presidency, which also heavily skews the seat count in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Hagerty. “While people continue to flee Democrat-run cities, desperate Democrats have back-filled the mass exodus with illegal immigrants so that they do not lose their seats in Congress or their electoral votes, hence artificially boosting their political power and in turn diluting the power of other Americans’ votes. I’m pleased to lead my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that would require a citizenship question on the census and will ensure that only citizens are counted in congressional redistricting.”

The Equal Representation Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

The Equal Representation Act would:

• Require the Census Bureau to include a citizenship question in future censuses to provide a greater understanding of the U.S. population and delineate citizens and non-citizens for apportionment purposes;

• Prohibit the counting of non-citizens for congressional district and Electoral College apportionment; and

• Require the Census Bureau to publicly report on certain demographic data.