“Efforts to narrow access to the franchise to preserve Republican rule abound across the South and Midwest, leaving shards of voting rights in their wake.“ New York Magazine

In case you missed it, more stories are emerging about how Republican lawmakers across the country are hampering efforts to deliver a complete 2020 census count to benefit their own political future.

At stake next year is the accurate allocation of billions of dollars in federal funding, the number of seats in Congress a state will hold, and the data used to draw political maps in 2021. An incomplete count would undercount traditionally Democratic voters like minorities and lower-income individuals, delivering a population count that skews Republican. A more Republican population means political maps that skew right as well.

So just how aggressive are Republicans willing to be to undercount Democrats? Out of the 26 states who have allocated funds to ensure a complete count, just four are Republican-controlled. Of states refusing to spend a dime, 17 are governed by both a Republican governor and legislature. Perhaps the worst contenders are Texas, Florida, and Ohio – populous states that risk massive undercounts without the proper efforts.

As the New York Times states about lawmakers’ lack of effort, “few doubt that the prime factor is politics.”

Luckily, Democratic governors are pushing back and allocating record-breaking funds for Complete Count Committees in their states. You can read more about their efforts at EveryStateEveryVote.com.

Read more about Republicans efforts to thwart our democracy:

The New York Time: In 2020 Census, Big Efforts in Some States. In Others, Not So Much.

Next month, California will uncork a $187 million campaign to prod its nearly 40 million residents to participate in the 2020 census. […]

Texas has a campaign, too — a shoestring campaign. Although the state’s 29 million residents make it second in population only to California, the Texas Legislature has declined to spend any money to see that they are counted. […]

Next year’s census is part head count and part power struggle, the most politicized population tally in a century, in which a state’s desire for an accurate count could depend on which party is in charge there.

New York Magazine: It Sure Looks Like Republicans Don’t Want an Accurate Census Count

The reasons why a state government would want an accurate Census count are self-evident. […] More money and more say in how the federal government functions should help legislators more effectively advocate on behalf of their constituents, in theory.

But in 2020, both have become secondary to partisan considerations: Where Democrat-led states like California are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on campaigns encouraging their residents to participate in the census, Republican-governed counterparts like Florida, Ohio, and Texas are declining to spend any.

Miami New Times: Florida GOP Accused of Suppressing Minority Voters by Underfunding Census

How important is the 2020 United States Census for Florida? The once-in-a-decade count will not only decide how many new congressional seats will be awarded to the Sunshine State until 2030, but also determine Florida’s share of more than $675 billion in federal funding on the table for local schools, hospitals, roads, and even student lunches.

An undercount next April could have huge ramifications for South Florida. But you wouldn’t know it by the actions of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who may well need a new pair of shoes after so much foot-dragging on the issue.