Counting undocumented immigrants in the census undermines the fundamental principle of American representative democracy that every voter has an equal voice. Through the census-based process of apportionment, states with large numbers of undocumented aliens will unconstitutionally gain members in the U.S. House of Representatives, thus robbing the citizen-voters in other states of their rightful representation.
In addition, an inflated population count resulting from the inclusion of undocumented immigrants would increase the number of votes some states get in the electoral college system, the process by which the president is elected.
In short, including undocumented immigrants in the census count will unjustly bestow additional political power in states where lax enforcement of immigration laws attract large populations of undocumented aliens.
In calculating congressional apportionment, the Census Bureau counts a state's total population, including both citizens and non-citizens of all ages. The apportionment population also includes U.S. Armed Forces personnel and federal civilian employees stationed outside the United States — along with their dependents living with them — that can be allocated, based on administrative records, back to a home state.
