Census must take prisoners into account

The Watertown Daily Times editorial of Oct. 3 ("An accurate census") properly calls for a precise U.S. population count in 2010.

However, this editorial completely failed to acknowledge that equitable local representation sometimes requires adjustments to the federal population count.

Thus, there is a compelling need for the U.S. Census Bureau to collect data about the prison populations of north country communities.

Franklin County always adjusts the federal census count to ensure that local residents get proper one-person one-vote representation. Without such an adjustment, the prison population centered on Malone would overwhelm a legislative district. Just a tiny number of people living near this cluster of correctional institutions could elect and be represented by their own county legislator.

Similar distortions can occur at the state level as well.

The U.S. Census needs to count and report the prison and other transient populations so that local and state governments can make adjustments and be legitimately apportioned into equal-sized voting districts.

Daniel Jenkins

Tupper Lake