Herbert says Utah still ’smarting’ from losing fourth House seat to North Carolina in 2000

Herbert: Utah still ’smarting’ from 2000 census

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said Wednesday the state is still “smarting” from missing out on a fourth House seat following the 2000 census.

Utah missed qualifying for the seat, which was awarded to North Carolina, by just 857 people.

State officials argued unsuccessfully that the government should have counted more than 11,000 Mormon missionaries living overseas, as federal employees and military personnel are.

North Carolina is home to several large military bases, including Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, that Utah officials say put North Carolina over the top in 2000.

“We all know we’re trying to get a fourth congressional seat here for 2012 that comes from the Census of 2010. And some of us are still smarting, just a little bit, because we lost out 10 years ago … by just 900 people. And we believe we had them, we just didn’t get ‘em written down,” Herbert told a state committee responsible for getting residents counted during the 2010 census.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Utah’s claims and ruled the U.S. Census Bureau enjoys wide discretion on counting.

Utah is virtually assured of getting the fourth seat following the 2010 Census. State estimates put the state’s population at about 2.7 million, up from 2.2 million in 2000.

However, the issue of overseas missionaries’ impact on congressional apportionment isn’t over.

A 2006 state analysis showed Utah would likely find itself battling — this time for a fifth seat — with Oregon and Virginia in 2020.

In early June, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, included a provision in a bill that would require the secretary of state, attorney general and the Census Bureau to study whether they could use passports to track citizens internationally.

This bill comes despite a 2004 Government Accountability Office study that said counting Americans living abroad would be “extremely difficult” and require new resources.

The GAO report said Congress would need to enact legislation if it wanted to require the Census Bureau to include overseas Americans.

Herbert said the importance of getting every Utah resident counted in 2010 can’t be underestimated.

“It’s not just about bragging rights,” he said. “Everybody deserves to be counted, everybody deserves to have a voice when it comes to representation … not only here in our state legislature, but certainly in the Congress.”

(This version CORRECTS RESTORES editors note; corrects spelling of Carolina, Lejeune)