(TRENTON) – Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez (D-Middlesex), a member of the New Jersey Complete Count Commission which assists in the administration of the Census, released the following statement on a measure she sponsors (ACR-188) that would seek voter approval of a constitutional amendment that would reschedule legislative redistricting if Census data is not available in time:
“A fair and accurate Census count ensures fair and accurate representation for New Jersey’s communities on the federal level and the state level during the next legislative redistricting process.
“Communities of color, whose populations have greatly increased over the past decade, stand to make significant gains as a result of 2020 Census data. Unless we have a complete count and can draw a legislative map that justly reflects our communities, our communities will not be able to exercise the power that they should. Since the Census Bureau has already informed us that it will not be able to provide a complete count to our state within the timeframe that it customarily does, we need to ensure that we do not disenfranchise communities of color for the next decade by adopting a map that does not accurately reflect the growth in our population.”