Attorney General James Uthmeier joined host Scott Anez on Orlando’s Morning News to elaborate on why he, Governor Ron DeSantis, and other GOP members are petitioning for an additional congressional seat for Florida.
▶ LISTEN TO ORLANDO’S MORNING NEWS EXPRESS PODCAST ON WDBO
Uthmeier argued that the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau undercounted Florida’s population by approximately 700,000 people.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis and Uthmeier discussed the inaccurate 2020 census data and other factors that suggest the state could benefit from congressional redistricting.
According to a press release from the U.S. Census Bureau, 17 states were undercounted, including Florida, with a -3.48% discrepancy.
The petition, championed by DeSantis and Uthmeier, argues for a second seat in Congress, which would change the make up of the Electoral College and influence the amount of federal funding the state receives.
Uthmeier has sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Department regarding a renumeration. He says he hopes the seats in the House reflect the recent population growth.
These efforts are, in Uthmeier’s words, done “in support” of President Trump’s goal to “clean up the Census and illegal aliens for apportionment."
He warns that the state might also be subjected to redistricting in response to racially gerrymandered districts.
READ: California is set to act fast after Texas advances congressional maps to boost Republicans
“It seems very likely that our legislature and certainly the Governor want to go back and continue to fine tune our map and further accommodate our population growth and movement in Florida, which has been significant in the post-COVID era," said Uthmeier.
If this continues, Florida will not be the only state to draw its maps. On Wednesday, the Texas House passed a resolution that would add an additional 5 districts to Republican congressional dominance in the state. In California, Democrats are in the midst of redrawing a map that would equate to five additional seats.
Click here to download our free news, weather and traffic app. And click here to subscribe to our daily 3 Big Things newsletter.