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The census provides a snapshot of the population change that has occurred in the last 10 years to make sure each district is properly represented. Political Representation
Apportioning each state's representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and redrawing their congressional districts are two of the most important uses of the population data collected by the decennial census.
When Georgians participate in the 2020 census, they're ensuring accurate representation for their district at both the state and federal level.
Representation in Georgia
Just as the U.S. House of Representatives is reapportioned, or rearranged, after each census, the Georgia General Assembly arranges the districts within the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate to ensure that each district is represented according to constituent population.
Since these district populations change so much from one census to another, reapportionment at the state level is necessary to ensure accurate representation.
Federal Representation
The U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 435 members from districts all over the country. These districts are represented by elected officials in the House based on the population density of the district they represent. Therefore, it only makes sense that these districts get rearranged after each census to account for the new population data.
For example, states that have grown faster than others since 2010 may gain additional seats in Congress. Because the census is used to rearrange House representation and give more representatives to faster growing states, it's important to get an accurate census count from districts all over the country.