Leon County’s commission district map was drawn with race in mind to protect minority representation and a federal proposal could change one of the sources of that information.
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Leon County redistricting could be affected by proposed census race question changes
For Pamela Andrews, those district lines are about having a community that can be seen and heard. She lives in District Two, where Black residents make up a significant share of the population.
“I think because we have the lines drawn, and we have reputation now at the table for the county and the city. It makes them recognize that our community is there. If you remove those lines, you diminish those people, and you make them become obsolete to society,” Andrews said.
Leon County’s map also has to meet requirements set by a federal court order. District One is a majority-Black district. District Two is a minority-access district Black residents are not the majority there, but the district is drawn so the minority population has the ability to elect a candidate of its choice. Census data used during the county’s 2021 redistricting process showed District Two was about 36% Black.
Now the Census Bureau is proposing a change for 2030. Race and ethnicity questions would no longer appear on the decennial census form used to count the population. The bureau could still collect that information through other surveys and sources.
Commissioner Bill Proctor represents District One, the county’s majority-minority district. He says without those questions on the decennial census, he is concerned about how the county would get a fair measure of a district’s racial makeup.
“There’s no fairway in my opinion, to determine the makeup without those specific questions. There’s no fair way, so it puts you on alarm in a neutrality in a moment of neutrality; whether there’s no fair data, it always counts against the minority always,” Proctor said.
The proposal would not change Leon County’s current district lines, but it leaves unanswered what comparable race and ethnicity data the county would have when it draws its next map.
The Census Bureau says the proposal would keep the decennial census focused on counting the population and could reduce the burden on people responding. The public can comment on the proposal through October 13th.
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