Update: It's official now, Louisiana will drop to 6 Congressional seats, according to the new Census data.
Update: It's official now, Louisiana will drop to 6 Congressional seats, according to the new Census data.
Louisiana will find out exactly how many congressional representatives it will have starting in 2013, as the U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to release its new population figures today. The census data will include a breakdown of the population to be included in each state's congressional districts - guidelines that state lawmakers must use in redrawing both the districts this year (the data will also be used to redraw municipal and state legislative districts). Due to population loss, Louisiana is widely expected to lose a congressional seat with this year's reapportionment, setting up a heated debate over how the legislature will reshape the districts. The new districts will go into effect for the 2012 federal elections and the start of the 113th Congress beginning in 2013. You can view the data as it's released at the U.S. Census Bureau's website at 2010census.gov.