By Zach Hester, Reporter • zach@southerntorch.com
ALABAMA — The State of Alabama is expected to keep all seven of its congressional seats, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau following the 2020 census.
“I am extremely pleased that we will keep all seven of our current seats in the U.S. House to provide valued and needed voices to advocate for our state and our people for the next 10 years,” Governor Kay Ivey said via Twitter. “Our success in the census was certainly a group effort across the entire state, and I offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part.”
Alabama was initially among the states projected to lose one seat in Congress after reapportionment, but the full report found Alabama’s population was 108,000 people higher than previous estimates. The State of Alabama’s population now stands at just over five million.
“I’m pleased that Alabama’s representation in Congress will remain at seven seats,” said U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt in a statement on Monday. “Two years ago, I and other members of the Alabama delegation began to express the importance of Alabama having a good 2020 Census count. The people of our great state responded and made sure that our collective voice was not diminished in Washington.”
“In the coming months, the Alabama Legislature will have to redraw the district lines to reflect the expected population shift northward,” continued Aderholt. “I look forward to working with the rest of the Congressional delegation and members of the Alabama Legislature as this process begins.”
According to acting director Ron Jarmin of the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 331,449,281 people live in the United States, marking a 7.4 percent growth over the last ten years.
The Census Bureau’s gross data estimates that several states including California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, will lose one seat in congress, thus lowering their numeric representation in the Electoral College. Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon are expected to gain one seat, while Texas is expected to gain two.
Full demographic data for the 2020 census is expected to be released in August.