Press Release
GOP Census Lead Sounds Alarm Over Low Republican Response RateReport Shows Significantly Lower Census Response in GOP Counties
Most Americans have had weeks to return their census forms and new data is showing that Republicans may be responding at significantly lower rates. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle points out that conservative Texas is way behind the national average in returning Census forms and some of the lowest rates are in Texas’ most conservative counties.
Most Americans have had weeks to return their census forms and new data is showing that Republicans may be responding at significantly lower rates. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle points out that conservative Texas is way behind the national average in returning Census forms and some of the lowest rates are in Texas’ most conservative counties.
So far 34 percent of the country has sent in their census forms, but citizens of ‘Deep Red” counties like Lubbock’s King County (5 percent), the Panhandle’s Briscoe County (8 percent) and El Paso’s Culberson County (11 percent) are participating at much lower rates. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the Ranking Republican on Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee and the Chairman of the House Conservatives Fund, expressed alarm at the news: “Few things will make Nancy Pelosi happier than a low Republican census turnout. Conservatives need to know how important it is to fill out the census. It is one of the only things our Constitution specifically asks of U.S. citizens and boycotting will just help liberals expand government even further. “This census is also the shortest and least intrusive count in modern history. We kicked ACORN out of the count, defeated liberal statistical sampling schemes and fought off Obama Administration’s attempts to run the census directly. It would be a tragedy if we handed Democrats a victory at the last minute. “This is still just the beginning of the process. We have about two months for Republicans to increase their participation rates.” An undercount of Republican leaning voters will hand the Democrats more seats in Congress; both by awarding fewer seats to conservative states like Texas and by warping redistricting within states to Democrats’ advantage. The story has sent commenters on the liberal website Huffingtonpost.com into a massive fit of gloating. ### |