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American democracy depends on the census. Trump is undermining it | danah boyd

The very mechanisms that allow the census bureau to resist partisan interference are coming undone. And Congress is silent When the constitutional architects of the United States got together, they came up with a crazy plan: “What if we count everyone in the country and allocate political representation that way?” It was a radical act. Until then, censuses had been used by kings to levy taxes and…

American democracy depends on the census. Trump is undermining it | danah boyd

The census, a cornerstone of American democracy, hangs in the balance as Donald Trump seeks to undermine its integrity. The very foundations upon which the United States was built, the constitutional architects who instituted the practice, intended for it to serve as a tool for equitable representation and resource allocation. Article 1, section 2 of the US constitution mandated that a headcount be conducted, ensuring that states would receive both financial support and political representation proportional to their population.

The congress was entrusted with the responsibility of establishing reliable processes to link representation to the populace. However, this essential process is now under threat as Trump's attempts to manipulate the census could have far-reaching implications for the democratic fabric of the nation.

Written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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