Today, the League of Women Voters (LWV), the League of Women Voters of Florida (LWVFL), and the League of Women Voters of New York State (LWVNYS), represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), filed a motion to intervene in Louisiana v. U.S. Department of Commerce. The lawsuit, brought by the plaintiff states of Louisiana, Kansas, Ohio, and West Virginia, seeks to exclude some undocumented persons and holders of temporary visas from the census count used to allocate congressional seats and Electoral College votes. 

The League is intervening in this case to ensure that all residents – not just citizens – be counted to ensure fair representation and equitable distribution of federal resources, as required by the Constitution and federal law. If successful, plaintiff states would ignore the law and unfairly penalize states with large immigrant populations by stripping them of their congressional seats, electoral votes, and any federal funding tied to population. 

 “New York has long stood as a beacon for newcomers to our nation, and immigrants are the backbone of many New York communities today,” said Nancy Rosenthal, president of the League of Women Voters of New York. “It is unconscionable that this lawsuit seeks to erase their very presence in the state, and we look forward to fighting back against this unconstitutional claim in court.” 

 Excluding millions of people from the Census count would distort democracy, weaken voting power, and create a permanent class of disenfranchised people who contribute to their communities but are denied representation in government. The League and SPLC will fight to protect the integrity of apportionment law, which is based on total population and the principle of equal representation. 

 Click here to read the motion.