1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to you today as a longtime resident of Modesto, California — a concerned constituent — regarding the recently advanced bill that would limit the decennial census count to U.S. citizens only, thus excluding non-citizens from the population totals used for congressional apportionment. I strongly oppose this proposal for the following reasons: It violates the Constitution. The U.S. Constitution requires that congressional seats be apportioned based on the “whole number of persons in each State,” not merely citizens. It harms communities through undercounting. By excluding non-citizens (and deterring self-response among immigrant or mixed-status households), this change would likely lead to undercounts — reducing representation and federal resources for entire communities, including many lawful residents, regardless of immigration status. It undermines fair and equal representation. Every person residing in the U.S., citizen or not, contributes to our society and deserves to be counted fairly. Restricting the census count to citizens only devalues many people whose work, families, and day-to-day lives are deeply tied to our state — and shifts representation in ways that do not reflect actual population. As your constituent, I respectfully urge you to oppose any legislation that would exclude non-citizens from the census count, and to uphold the constitutional principle of equal representation for all persons living in the United States. Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue. I would appreciate knowing your position on this bill and any actions you plan to take.