ILLINOIS, USA — Illinois will lose another seat in Congress as a result of the 2020 Census.
The announcement Monday that Illinois' population is 12.82 million — a drop of just 0.3% from a decade earlier — continues a long slide in prestige and power for Illinois. The state has forfeited 10 seats in the U.S. House in the last nine censuses, including at least one seat in each of the last five censuses.
The nation reported a population increase of 7.4% over the 2010 Census.
Because the number of seats in the House of Representatives is set at 435, it's a zero-sum game with one state's gain resulting in another state's loss — like a pie with uneven slices. As one state gets a larger slice because of population gains, that means a smaller slice for a state that lost population or didn't grow as much.
Florida, Colorado Montana, North Carolina and Oregon all gained one seat while Texas added two. Illinois was joined by California, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia in losing a seat.
The effect could mean fewer federal dollars and larger congressional districts in central and southern Illinois.
It also will likely strengthen the Democrats’ political grip on the state, with the party controlling the Statehouse and governor’s office.
The number of congressional districts also determines the number of Electoral College votes each state gets, with a state getting an Electoral College vote for each member of the House and Senate. Illinois will now have 19 Electoral College votes in the next presidential election.