Article IV Section 4 of the US Constitution says
Quote:
The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government....
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After the Civil War, it was recognized that Southern blacks would now be counted as citizens, but also expected that they would not be allowed to vote in the South. The KKK was formed in large part to make sure they didn't. This would have meant that, after the 1870 census, Southern pro-slavery/segregation Democrats would make huge gains in apportionment of US House seats.
Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (R,PA) said that Article IV Section 4 could be a 'sleeping giant' in this controversy. If this new political reality meant that 'republican form of government' had been impaired, the federal gov't would be empowered to take steps necessary to rectify, under Article IV section 4.
Now with the phenomenon of massive illegal immigration, we face a similar situation. A state like California, with large numbers of illegal aliens, will get a boost in the 2020 census, and likewise states with low illegal populations will get a boot. This is impairment of the 'republican form of government.' It means a small but significant negative impact on representation of citizens in some states.
Any Constitutional experts out there? What do you think about this?