Post by Logan on Jun 20, 2016 22:49:12 GMT -6
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's minorities do not enjoy proportional representation in the Legislature or the state's congressional delegation, according to data compiled by The Associated Press.
For example, Latinos make up almost 7 percent of the state's population, but less than 1 percent of the Legislature. The state's nine-member U.S. House delegation includes one African-American, but no Latinos.
The AP analyzed the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Congress and the National Conference of State Legislatures to determine the extent to which the nation's thousands of lawmakers match the demographics of its hundreds of millions of residents. The result: Non-Hispanic whites make up a little over 60 percent of the U.S. population, but still hold more than 80 percent of all congressional and state legislative seats.
While U.S. demographic trends suggest the lack of representation won't always be the case, the minorities are currently excluded from positions that help make important public policy decisions, said Marlene Dotson, who's the President and CEO of the Indiana Latino Institute.
Read more: www.nwitimes.com/news/statehouse/indiana/indiana-minorities-don-t-have-proportional-representation/article_97eeff76-2547-52c6-93e0-99d83317dd0c.html
For example, Latinos make up almost 7 percent of the state's population, but less than 1 percent of the Legislature. The state's nine-member U.S. House delegation includes one African-American, but no Latinos.
The AP analyzed the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Congress and the National Conference of State Legislatures to determine the extent to which the nation's thousands of lawmakers match the demographics of its hundreds of millions of residents. The result: Non-Hispanic whites make up a little over 60 percent of the U.S. population, but still hold more than 80 percent of all congressional and state legislative seats.
While U.S. demographic trends suggest the lack of representation won't always be the case, the minorities are currently excluded from positions that help make important public policy decisions, said Marlene Dotson, who's the President and CEO of the Indiana Latino Institute.
Read more: www.nwitimes.com/news/statehouse/indiana/indiana-minorities-don-t-have-proportional-representation/article_97eeff76-2547-52c6-93e0-99d83317dd0c.html