Local-level data needed for Indiana and other states to begin their decennial redistricting process will be released on Aug. 12, four days earlier than the U..S. Census Bureau previously had projected, bureau officials announced Thursday.
The “legacy” data will be delivered in a different format than that expected to be released in September, but Indiana legislative leaders have indicated that it can be used to begin redrawing congressional and legislative districts. The data ordinarlily would have been released months earlier, in time for the Indiana General Assembly to complete the process during its January-through-April legislative session, but census operations were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
In April, census officials released state-level population data used to determine the number of congressional districts for each state; Thirteen states will either gain or lose congressional seats as a result; Indiana will continue to have nine congressional districts.
The data to be released Aug. 12 will provide more detailed demographic information on race, ethnicity, and local population shifts. — The Indiana Citizen
