rom: "Jerry Depew" <depew@ncn.net>
To: "POP.2020.Residence.Rule@census.gov" <POP.2020.Residence.Rule@census.gov>
Cc:
Subject: residents of prisons
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 2015 08:03:23 -0500

The census claims to report where people reside but its definition of
"reside" is amiss.  It's inappropriate to say that a person held against
his will resides in the jail.

Such a claim has implications for elections.

Iowa law creates election districts based on population.  But if the
population includes prisoners, they should not count as residents.  They
cannot vote.

Anamosa, Iowa once found itself with an election district comprised of so
many prisoner "residents" that practically no one in the district could
vote.  Yet they were supposed to elect a member of the city council.
Anamosa had to eliminate districts altogether to get around this problem
caused by the Census Bureau.

My own state senate district is also home to a pair of state prisons.  Why
do those prisoners count as residents here when they cannot vote?  With so
many Americans in prison this can lead to a lot of distortion.

Some changes should be made in this practice.

Jerry Depew
Laurens, IA