Texas picked up two additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives during this apportionment cycle. However, it may have missed out on a third because possibly hundreds of thousands of Texans were not counted in the 2020 Census.
According to the census, nearly 4 million new residents contributed to Texas’ population, an increase of 15.9% since the previous census in 2010.
Based on the official census data, Texas was due two additional House seats. The state’s growth came close to warranting a third seat but fell short by 190,000 residents.
However, on May 19, the Census Bureau completed its 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), which closely examines data samples in all 50 states to determine the accuracy of census results.
The PES found that Texas had a population undercount ranging between 0.57% and 3.27%, suggesting between 166,000 and 1 million Texas residents were not officially counted.
Unless the PES’s undercount is exaggerated, it is highly likely Texas lost an additional seat in the U.S. House because of the undercount.
“Achieving an accurate count for all 50 states and D.C. is always a difficult endeavor, and these results suggest it was difficult again in 2020, particularly given the unprecedented challenges we faced,” said Census Bureau Director Robert Santos, alluding to the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding lockdowns.
Texas State Representative Chris Turner blamed Governor Greg Abbott for the undercount, arguing Abbott opposed programs that would have promoted more census outreach.
“Texans will pay the price for this undercount,” he stated. “An accurate census is necessary for our state to draw down billions of dollars in federal funding, and to ensure that Legislative and Congressional Districts accurately reflect the fundamental principle of ‘one person, one vote.'”
Before the census ended, Dallas city officials expressed concern about an undercounting of residents. The Dallas Morning News reported only 60% of people had responded to the census by phone, email, or mail. With over 100,000 new residents in the past decade, it is unclear how many of those new Dallasites did not participate in the census.