Decennial Census In The United States

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The decennial census is the traditional tool used to measure the population of an area, whether it be on the local level all the way through federal. The census also marks the time when state legislatures redistrict their states, and reapportion the seats to adjust for shifts in population; however, between the period of 1900-1960 no reapportionment occurred in the state of Tennessee. The inability of the state legislature to reapportion their districts accordingly led Charles Baker to sue Joe Carr, Secretary of State of Tennessee. Between 1901, when Tennessee passed the statute making apportionment automatic and mathematically unrepresentative, and 1960, the state saw a large increase in the population able to vote, and a shift of this population from more rural areas, to more urbanized areas. The populations changed, but the representation did not, allowing for misrepresentation within the state. …show more content…

He believed by not reapportioning the senators and the state representatives that the state was debasing the citizens’ votes. Amendment 14, Section 1, Clause 2 states, “No State shall make…any law which shall abridge the privileges [voting]…of citizens…,” which validates Baker’s claim. Tennessee passed the Reapportioning Act of 1901, doing away with decennial enumerations to reapportion the state, making it in violation of the 14th Amendment. Not only is it a violation of the individual liberties of the citizens, it was done without due process under the law, meaning that each citizens’ vote was debased without a trial or reason specific to that individual; by not granting due process to these citizens, the state allowed for a dual violation of the 14th

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