Being incarcerated does not erase your connection to your community. Your family, your neighborhood, and your voice still matter. Where you are counted should reflect that.
The U.S. Census Bureau has proposed changes to the 2030 Census that would affect who gets counted, where people are counted, and what information is collected about our communities.
The deadline to submit a public comment is Monday, November 2, 2026.
For VAAC, this is an opportunity to speak out about prison gerrymandering, fair representation, and the importance of counting all our communities accurately.
What’s Being Proposed?
The Census Bureau’s proposals would:
- Change who counts toward congressional representation. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents would be included, while other noncitizen residents would be excluded from the population used to allocate seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
- Remove race and ethnicity questions from decennial census questionnaires, raising concerns about the detailed information communities use to identify discrimination and protect voting rights.
- Change how residency is determined, including establishing a January 3 through April 1 residence period and using tax records to help determine where people live.
- Continue counting incarcerated people at correctional and detention facilities, including juvenile facilities, instead of at their home addresses.
These are proposed rules, not changes that have already taken effect.
Why VAAC Is Speaking Out About Prison Gerrymandering
For VAAC, ending prison gerrymandering is central to this conversation.
When incarcerated people are counted at prisons and those population numbers are used to draw voting districts without adjustment, political representation shifts away from the communities where those individuals lived before incarceration.
The proposed Census rules would continue the existing practice of counting people at correctional facilities.
We are urging the Census Bureau to count incarcerated people in their home communities and provide states with the information needed to end prison gerrymandering.
VAAC also opposes excluding residents from congressional representation and removing demographic questions that help communities identify discrimination and protect voting rights.
You can read more about these issues in our earlier post: Proposed 2030 Census Changes: What’s at Stake for Michigan and How to Submit a Public Comment.
How to Submit Your Public Comment
You have until Monday, November 2, to make your concerns part of the official public record.
Here’s how:
- Go to Regulations.gov.
- Search for docket USBC-2026-0628.
- Find the proposed rule titled Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions.
- Click Comment and enter or attach your comments.
You do not need to be a Census expert.
You can focus on one issue or several. For example:
- Prison gerrymandering: Explain why incarcerated people should be counted in their home communities. You can specifically reference Section 60.9, which addresses people confined in correctional and detention facilities.
- Congressional representation: Explain why you believe every resident should be included when determining representation, regardless of immigration status.
- Race and ethnicity data: Describe why detailed demographic information matters for identifying discrimination and protecting voting rights.
- Housing instability and reentry: Share concerns about using tax records or a limited residence period to determine where people live.
Make your comment your own. Explain your concerns in your own words, and include personal or community examples if you have them.
Our earlier article also includes sample comments from ACCESS and the National Network for Arab American Communities that you can use as a starting point.
Remember: Public comments generally appear online. Do not include private information you do not want made public. Anonymous comments are accepted.
Submit Your Comment Before November 2!
The decisions being considered now could affect how communities are counted and represented for years to come.
Our message is clear:
Count every resident. Count incarcerated people in their home communities. Protect fair representation.
Visit Regulations.gov, search for USBC-2026-0628, and submit your comment by Monday, November 2.
Please share this opportunity with your family, neighbors, and community partners.
We got us!
The post Who Gets Counted? Speak Out on the 2030 Census Proposals by November 2! appeared first on Voting Access For All.