Accurate Counting of Minorities – the Census: Census data are used to determine the number of seats that each state will have in the House of Representatives, and the number of votes that each state has in the Electoral College, which is how the President of the United States is selected. Census data are also used in the drawing of election districts, and in making sure that election districts are roughly equal in size. The enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which I described previously, also depends heavily on accurate Census data. An accurate Census is very important. Redistricting After the Census results are finalized, the various States throughout the country engage in the process of redistricting, or redrawing electoral districts for political offices, from school boards to city councils, state legislatures to the U.S. Congress. How and where those lines are drawn often determines whether or not members of minority groups will have the ability to participate meaningfully in the political process and elect candidates of their choice. Historically, however, the redistricting process has frequently excluded members of minority groups. Until the 1990’s, the redistricting process remained largely under the control of voting blocs and power structures that did not consider – or even purposefully undermined – the interests of racial and ethnic minorities. During redistricting, racial minorities were often spread out amongst many districts so as to dilute their voting strength, or, in other cases, packed as a supermajority into a single district so as to limit their ability to participate in and win elections in other districts.