Did Shoddy Census-Taking Cost Louisiana a Congressional Seat?

Louisiana Sen. David Vitter (R) wants answers about a Census Bureau “screw-up” in counting his constituents in the same year that reported population shifts cost his state a congressional seat.

“This could be a major screw-up that is all the more glaring given the fact that Louisiana is losing a Congressional seat as a result of the most recent census,” Vitter said. “If the Census Bureau failed to count some Louisiana citizens, we need to know immediately.”

Vitter wrote Census director Robert Groves yesterday, noting that several constituents in Washington Parish contacted the senator late last year, concerned that they were never contacted in the 2010 census and citing others in the parish who also weren’t contacted.

In November, Vitter’s office took its concerns to the Census Bureau. “In February 2012, my staff was informed by one of your representatives over the telephone that the problem seemed to be that some residents and perhaps larger sections of Washington Parish were not included in the database to be contacted for the Census,” Vitter wrote. “A formal, written, and more detailed response was promised. We continued to request this response over the next three months.”

That response came, Vitter wrote, but it “did not provide any real substance or detail.” He requested that Graves provide him with more information, including other parishes that may have been miscounted and oversight failures that led to the Washington Parish count.

In addition to answers to seven questions, Vitter requested “any other information that would help me make sure Louisiana is adequately represented.”

Louisiana is one of 10 states that lost a seat in the House this year. The state unsuccessfully challenged the move, claiming that the Census was unfairly including illegal immigrants in state totals. Eight states picked up seats, including four new seats for Texas.

Louisiana lost a seat because even though its population grew, its share of the nation’s population fell. The state also lost a seat after the 1990 Census.

In addition to losing a congressional seat, the state’s share of federal funding will drop.