Now that the Census Bureau has finished the preliminary phase of the population count, states and cities are beginning the process of determining how to respond. Some states have gained population while others – like New York – have lost.

These population shifts have serious consequences for the states.

The distribution of federal funds, the number of congressional repre-sentatives, boundaries for state and local electoral districts, and the racial composition of govern-mental bodies are all determined by the final census count. These factors are the primary reasons that there are demands for as accurate a count as possible.

The concern is greatest in states with high concentration of minorities where population loss is common, undercounts have been significant, and all new election districts must meet the standard set by the Justice Department. The Justice Department, under the mandate of the Voter Rights Act, must assure fair representation of minorities at all levels of government.

State legislatures are responsible for drawing the boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts. They must take race into account, but, because of recent court decisions, they cannot create exclusive race districts.

The new "race neutral" principles include consideration of compact districts and the protection of incumbents. Obviously, all incumbents cannot be protected if a state loses congressional seats, therefore, in some instances, incumbents will be merged into districts with others. Historical friendships and relationships often become victims of the political reality of survival.

New York is expected to lose two congressional seats if the current census count prevails.

We will be faced with the challenge to decide who will survive without a fight, who will retire, or who will wage a battle for his political life. The likelihood is that no woman, African American or Latino will be seriously affected because of the Voter Rights Act. So the battleground could pit legislative giants against one another, as was the case in 1992 when Charles Schumer and Steve Solarz were placed in the same congressional district.

Both were highly regarded, extremely hardworking, successful congressmen, but one had to be sacrificed when the state lost two seats. A Republican seat was saved because of a retirement in an upstate district.

Congressman Solarz decided to run in a new district where the Latino population had grown, thus creating excellent opportunity for electing someone from its community to Congress. Solarz decided to challenge Nydia Velasquez for the Latino seat. In spite of his impressive credentials and international acclaim, he was easily defeated.

There is a possibility now that some of the historically African American and Latino districts could have smaller numbers of blacks and Hispanics given the new rulings that state "race must be taken into account on some level, but at the same time, we cannot make race the primary factor." That means that there will not be a reduction in minority-controlled districts, but they will probably have fewer minorities as more are dispersed to protect some of the party incumbents.

The national political leadership of both parties will wage a war to maintain or gain more seats in the Senate and House of Representatives. Since much of the population growth occurred in Arizona, Colorado, and Texas, these states will gain seats.

Most of that population shift is accounted for by Hispanics. Democrats believe that the shifts favor their efforts to gain control of Congress.

Republicans are depending on their control of both chambers in 18 states, up from six in 1991. Democrats have control of 16, which is a reduction from 30 in 1991.