Undercounting the population in red states like Texas and Florida in 2020 cost Republicans at least six seats in the House of Representatives, while overcounting in blue states like California and New York contributed to 18 new Democratic seats, according to Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas).

“In 2020, the Census Bureau undercounted in primarily deep-red states like Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, all red, while overcounting in radical blue states like Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island,” Hunt told a November 19, 2025, hearing of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government.

“This egregious error led to many states being denied proper representation in Congress and the Electoral College. So much so that these errors costs Republicans … six seats in the House. In addition to the 2020 miscounting, including illegal immigrants in the Census has improperly granted radical Left blue states 12 additional seats in the United States House of Representatives. That is a total of 18 seats gain and that is a huge problem. And those are the facts,” Hunt told the hearing.

The Census Bureau acknowledged the over and under counts in a May 2025 report. The Census Bureau uses its population counts as the basis for determining how many House of Representatives seats are in each of the 50 states. The census counts all present individuals without distinguishing between citizens and noncitizens, meaning a higher head count gives a state more House seats, without regard to citizenship status. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in all federal elections, as well as the vast majority of state and local contests.

Not all of the undercounted states were red, as deep-blue Illinois was among this group, while not all of the overcounted states were blue. Ohio and Utah, both red states, were among the over-counted group, according to the Census report.

Most congressional Republicans like Hunt support requiring Census Bureau counters to at least include a question about the citizenship of every counted individual, while most congressional Democrats oppose such a requirement. The issue has intensified in recent years, especially during the Biden administration’s open-border era in which millions of illegal immigrants crossed into the U.S.

Legislation originally introduced in the House of Representatives in 2025 by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) — The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act — requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote and provides criminal penalties for violations. The measure, which has 110 House co-sponsors, including Hunt, passed the lower chamber but has not been acted upon by the Senate. President Donald Trump supports the measure.

Hunt did not address the issue of whether political bias within the Census Bureau’s workforce could be a factor in the significant under and overcounting, but The Washington Stand’s review of Federal Election Commission (FEC) campaign contribution data for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025 found a huge bias in favor of Democrats among donors who said they work for the agency.

During the three years indicated, the FEC records disclosed 4,037 contributions by individuals who listed “U.S. Census Bureau” as their employer. Of those contributions, 3,583 went to Democrats, compared to 455 made to Republicans, for a 7-1 ratio. The average Democrat contribution was for $29, while the average Republican contribution was $229.

Interestingly, the total dollar value of the contributions by Census Bureau workers to Democrats was $104,597, only slightly more than the $104,130 total given to Republicans.

Federal workers like those at the Census Bureau are covered by the Hatch Act, which bars partisan political activities by government employees while on official duty. The Hatch Act does not limit the right of government employees to work for candidates while off-duty, to contribute to the candidates of their choice, or to participate in activities supporting candidates, as long as federal property is not used in the process.

Two-thirds of the Democratic contributions, or 1,999 of the 3,582 total, were given through Act Blue, a digital site that acts as a conduit for campaign funding from individuals to favored candidates. Winred, the similar digital site created by Republicans to counter Act Blue, accounted for only 253 contributions to GOP candidates by Census Bureau workers.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, received 347 contributions from Census workers, compared to just 69 for Trump, her 2024 Republican rival.

Apprised of the Census Bureau employee contribution bias, Hunt provided the following statement to The Washington Stand:

“The inaccuracies and deliberate manipulations embedded in Democrat-led Census reporting expose a level of corruption that plagued the previous administration and continues today under radical Left leadership. Despite these efforts, the American people saw through the deception and delivered a decisive victory for Donald Trump in the last election.

“Now, with Republicans holding all three chambers of government, we have both the responsibility and the obligation to correct these abuses immediately and restore integrity to the process by ensuring that Census data reflects only United States citizens.

“The irony is unmistakable. For years, Democrats have warned of a supposed threat to democracy, while actively engaging in the very practices that undermine it — manipulating systems designed to distort representation and influence elections. Democracy is not endangered by transparency and lawful governance. It is endangered by those who abuse institutions for political gain.”

Hunt will not be in the House of Representatives in 2027, as he is seeking the Republican nomination for the Senate in a hotly contested primary that also includes Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Lone Star State’s long-serving incumbent, Senator John Cornyn. The primary election is March 3.