SE Wyoming News

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) have introduced the Equal Representation Act, which aims to ensure that only legal citizens are taken into account when determining congressional districts and Electoral College votes. The current practice of counting illegal immigrants for representation purposes creates a perverse incentive for open borders and disproportionately benefits sanctuary states, negatively impacting rural states such as Wyoming.

Lummis, in support of the legislation, expressed concerns about the current crisis at the border, stating that "the sanctuary states housing illegal aliens aim to benefit greatly if this problem continues through the census." She emphasized that Wyoming communities already struggle to access federal funds and rewarding larger sanctuary states like New York for harboring illegal aliens would exacerbate funding disparities.

The Equal Representation Act seeks to address the rural-urban divide and protect rural states from the consequences of the current administration's open border policies. By excluding illegal immigrants from the count, the legislation aims to prevent states like California from gaining additional congressional seats and Electoral College votes based on their population of illegal residents. Lummis highlighted the distortion of political power, stating that being a magnet for illegal immigration increases the voting power of a Californian relative to an individual in another state with less population boost from illegal immigration.

Since President Biden took office, 9.1 million illegal immigrants have entered America, further highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue. The Equal Representation Act aims to rectify this situation and promote fairness and accuracy in the determination of congressional districts and Electoral College votes.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

In introducing the Equal Representation Act, Lummis and Hagerty join 19 colleagues in addressing the consequences of counting illegal immigrants for representation purposes. By focusing on the need to consider only legal citizens, the legislation aims to protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that political power is allocated accurately and fairly.