WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with two million activists nationwide, today released the following statement applauding the House of Representatives for passing the Equal Representation Act (H.R. 7109), a bill Heritage Action urged lawmakers to support by issuing a Key Vote.
Executive Vice President Ryan Walker:
“Like everything funded by taxpayers, the U.S. Census should be fair and accurate. But, when the Obama administration overturned nearly two hundred years of precedent to remove the citizenship question from the Census in 2010, he made the count both inaccurate and unfair for Americans. Adding a citizenship question back to the Census is the surest way to guarantee congressional apportionment and Electoral College power is based solely on the interests of American citizens.
“Illegal immigrants and other non-citizens cannot vote and should not be given the power to sway our elections or congressional maps—especially in light of Joe Biden’s border crisis that has brought more than 10 million people into our country. The Equal Representation Act puts electoral power back in the hands of those with the right to vote—American citizens—something every member of Congress must protect.
“Heritage Action is proud to have led the charge in engaging grassroots Americans to urge their representatives to cosponsor and vote in favor of this bill.”
The Equal Representation Act (S.3659 / H.R. 7109), introduced by U.S. Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) in the House and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) in the Senate, would protect Americans’ electoral power and congressional representation by requiring the U.S. Census Bureau to add a citizenship question on any future surveys.
In March, Heritage Action explained the rare move to Key Vote cosponsorship of the Equal Representation Act, alerting lawmakers that their decision on whether or not to formally back the bill would impact their score on the Heritage Action Scorecard, which shows voters and activists how conservative lawmakers are by comparing their policy positions to those of Heritage Action.
Heritage Action’s nationwide network of two million conservatives were asked to encourage their representatives to add their name to the legislation, driving thousands of calls to congressional offices and noticeable support on social media. The legislation received the support of all but one present Senate Republican in an amendment vote in March; not a single Senate Democrat voted for the measure.
BACKGROUND:
Heritage Action: Support for Equal Representation Act Swells as Bill Garners 100+ Cosponsors, Passes Committee
The Heritage Foundation: Apportionment and the Census: Fundamental Fairness to U.S. Citizens and Democratic Process
The Heritage Foundation: Citizenship Question Essential for Accurate U.S. Census
The Heritage Foundation: Only in the U.S. Is It Controversial for the Census to Ask About Citizenship