International Committee Urged to Scrutinize U.S. Census Practices That Dilute Vote of Minority Populations

Census Bureau’s counting of prisoners in their districts of incarceration rather than their home districts leads to violation of international treaty.

December 13, 2007

International Treaty Violation Also Cited

NEW YORK, Dec. 13 — The United States Census practice of counting prisoners in their districts of incarceration rather than their home districts for the purpose of establishing electoral and Congressional representation is a violation of international treaty. This month, the non-partisan public policy and advocacy centers Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) submitted their analysis to the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva.