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Presidential Members Report: Implications for Minority Voters in 2001 January, 2001 << Back to Introduction

State-by-State Analysis: Florida

The 1990 undercount and its demographic composition

As indicated in Table 1, the percentage undercount of 2.0 percent in Florida was higher than the national average of 1.6 percent and resulted in a net numerical undercount of 259,829 persons, fourth highest in the nation. For non-Hispanic whites, Table 1 indicates, the undercount percentage was only 1.0 percent as compared to 4.7 percent for members of minority groups, the vast majority of whom were non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics. As indicated in Table 2 and the summary chart below, these differentials between whites and minorities resulted in an undercounted population with a much greater minority group percentage than the state's total population. Minorities comprised 27 percent of the state's uncorrected population, compared to 63 percent of the state's undercounted population. In numerical terms, the undercount consisted of 97,250 non-Hispanic whites and 162,579 members of minority groups. The minority population of Florida consists primarily of non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. According to corrected census data, non-Hispanic blacks are 49 percent of Florida's minority population, Hispanics are 46 percent, and members of other minority groups are 5 percent.

Implications of 1990 Census adjustment for minority voter opportunities

The use of corrected data in Florida for the post-1990 redistricting would have had the potential to enhance minority voter opportunities in the plans drawn for the State Senate and State House. In the Florida State Senate, there are no districts with minority percentages approaching 50 percent. However, use of corrected data would have created the potential to enhance minority voter opportunities by increasing the minority percentages of State Senate District 38 in Dade County (43.0 percent minority). In Dade County, correction uncovers some 74,000 persons, 93 percent of whom are members of minority groups. These numbers are greater than would have been necessary to meet one-person, one-vote requirements given that the use of corrected rather than uncorrected data would increase the population of an ideal Senate district from some 323,400 to 329,900 persons, a net increase of about 6,500 persons.

The use of corrected rather than uncorrected Census data in Florida would have had a similar impact on State House districts. In the Florida State House, there are no districts with minority percentages approaching 50 percent. However, use of corrected data would have created the potential to enhance minority voter opportunities by increasing the minority percentages of State House districts 105 (40.3 percent minority) and 119 (38.9 percent minority) in Dade County. As indicated above, in Dade County, correction uncovers some 74,000 persons, 93 percent of whom are members of minority groups. These numbers are greater than would have been necessary to meet one-person, one-vote requirements given that the use of corrected rather than uncorrected data would increase the population of an ideal House district from some 108,000 to 110,000 persons, a net increase of about 2,000 persons.

 

 CONTENTS: 

Introduction

Summary of Findings

California

Texas

Florida

Georgia

Virginia

North Carolina

Illinois

Maryland

New York

Louisiana

End Notes

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