About a month ago the U.S. Census released its latest parish population statistics and John Couvillon, CEO of JMC Analytics and Polling, said there are redistricting implications to be gleaned from the data.
At the present rate of growth, he said, the upcoming round of reapportionment could see Orleans and St Bernard parishes recapture two of the four state House seats that were eliminated in the region in 2011.
Moreover, Couvillon is predicting that additional robust population growth points to one or two new House seats somewhere along the I-10/I-12 corridor, which includes Ascension, Lafayette, Livingston, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes.
Those gains, however, would have to be offset somewhere else, he added. It looks like Caddo and Jefferson parishes could lose at least one seat each if the trend holds. Further offsetting would also be seen in the state’s more rural parishes.
We’ll all know for sure following the 2020 count. For now, it’s all a guessing game.