ACRU Brief Urged Supreme Court to Consider Challenge to Counting Illegal Aliens in State Senate Districting

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 26, 2015) — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to states giving more political power to areas with high illegal alien populations.

In a brief filed in March, the ACRU argued that Texas and a U.S. District Court erred in approving state senate districts based on “total population” rather than on eligible citizen voters. “Total population” includes illegal aliens.

Counting non-voters, including illegal aliens, when assessing the size of senate districts, gives citizens living in areas with high numbers of illegal aliens more senate seats than areas with mostly U.S. citizens, the ACRU says in the brief, filed on behalf of the plaintiffs in Evenwel and Pfenninger v. Abbott et al.

The ACRU brief, which includes hard evidence that non-citizens are registering to vote, notes that even the United States Department of Justice uses only citizen population in allocating legislative seats in redistricting litigation.

“The current Texas method violates the one-man, one-vote concept that ensures fair elections,” said ACRU President Susan A. Carleson. “We’re pleased that the Court is taking the case.”