Well, howdy there, Internet people, it's Bell again. So today, we're going to talk about

Trump's census plan, the Constitution and Distraction. Trump has indicated he wants a new census

with some new qualifications as to who gets counted. He posted to social media, quote, I have instructed

our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate census, based

on modern day facts and figures, and importantly, using the results and information gained

from the presidential election of

2024. People who are in our country illegally will not be counted in the census. Thank you

for your attention to this matter. Can he order a new count to gather information about demographics and numerical information?

Sure, he can do that.

I'm not aware of any law stopping him.

Is it really a census as required by the Constitution for the purposes of determining House seats and so on?

Nope.

Not unless it counts the whole population of the state. Why? The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Section 2. Quote,

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers,

counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed.

That's the relevant part. But I'm going to read the rest of the section to go ahead and stop an argument

that will undoubtedly come from patriots

who have never read the Constitution. Quote, but when the right to vote at any election for the

choice of electors for president and vice president of the United States, representatives in Congress,

the executive and judicial officers of a state,

or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state,

being 21 years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion

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