Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on population changes. Such changes affect some states for how many congressional seats and electoral votes they will be allocated with in coming elections. (Specifically at the level of U.S. President, this will be applicable to Elections 2024 and 2028.)
In all, there are 13 states which will be experience the following changes:
• One state, Texas, which ranks the No. 2 most-populous state in the nation, will increase by +2.
• Five states will each increase by +1. In their ranked population order, they are: Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon, and Montana. (For the first time in its near-150-year history, Colorado will be allocated with a double-digit electoral vote—10. A recent source on state populations has Colorado now at No. 20, having previously supplanted Minnesota at No. 21 and now Wisconsin at No. 20. Over the next ten years, Colorado may be in position to supplant Maryland at No. 19 and, as it is not out of the realm of possibility, Missouri at No. 18.)
• Seven states will decrease—none by more than –1. But, as easily predicted and understood, most of these states are (to whatever each’s extent) among the Rust Belt. In their ranked population order, they are: New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and West Virginia. Also standing out, with a decrease of –1, is the nation’s most-populous state: California. (For the first time in its history, California will lose both a congressional seat and an electoral vote due to low growth in its population change.)
There were results which surprised some who tried to predict gains and losses but neither manifest. Many had predicted a gain for Arizona. It remains at 9 congressional seats and 11 electoral votes. (Many predicted more than what was gained with Texas and Florida.) Many also predicted losses for Minnesota and Rhode Island. For the former, this would have dropped it from a double-digit electoral vote of 10 to a single-digit electoral vote of 9. (Minnesota will remain at 10.) For the latter, had it dropped it would have become reduced to one at-large congressional district. (Rhode Island was lucky.)
When I consider the changes throughout a considerable period of time, I think as examples of my home state Michigan and a state I consider a second home, due to frequent visits with my relative, and that is Colorado. When I first voted at age 21 in 1992, Michigan had 18 and Colorado had 8 electoral votes. Applicable to Elections 2024 and 2028, Michigan will have 15 and Colorado will have 10 electoral votes. Michigan used to have a population more than double that of Colorado. Now, Michigan has a population approximately 50 percent more than Colorado. They are two good examples of very notable population changes. After all, it has been frequently reported that the population trends are with gains in the Sunbelt and the West and losses in the Midwest and the Northeast.
The above electoral map is from the outcome of Election 2020. Then-Republican incumbent Donald Trump was unseated by then-Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Trump finished with 232 and Biden won with 306 electoral votes. Reallocation of applicable states’s electoral votes would adjust that map’s score to 235 [Republican] vs. 303 [Democratic].
Perusal of the map from 270toWin: Light hues are for those unaffected. Tinted [grayish] colors are for ones which will decrease by –1. Medium hues are for those which will increase by +1. Solid hue, applicable only to Texas, is to indicate it will increase by +2.
‘Recommendations’ Updates
Last week, I added three more sources to the Recommendations list: The Vanguard, Steve Lehto, and Louis Rossmann.
Launched on YouTube in May 2020, The Vanguard covers and discusses politics and also reviews numerous other independent content creators. The Vanguard does have exclusive content—such as its recent interview with Noam Chomsky.
Steve Lehto is an attorney from Michigan who is really good with alerting viewers to legal issues (Lemon Law and Consumer Protection).
Louis Rossmann, of the Rossmann Repair Group Inc. in New York, repairs numerous Apple products and has videos which are also related to business and consumer issues.
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