N.J.'s lag in 2010 Census participation should concern residents, officials say

New Jersey Star-Ledger article "N.J.'s lag in 2010 Census participation should concern residents, officials say" (March 31st, 2010) makes a common argument about the Census that strikes Corrections as incorrect. Specifically, it argues that everyone in a state loses out when an individual fails to fill out a Census, as the state may potentially lose a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives (seats are apportioned according to Census results). Concerning unfilled-out Census forms, the Star-Ledger supports its argument:

That’s trouble for us. That’s loss of money. It’s a potential loss of a congressional seat, and make no mistake, that’s a problem for everyone in New Jersey,” said Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Union), who chairs the Assembly State Government Committee.

Let us imagine that I am the minority party in a state whose state legislature is controlled by the opposing party. That opposing party will gerrymander any new district to be controlled by the opposing party. If I conjecture that my state is best served by my party being in control at the Federal level, then I might choose to not fill out my Census form rationally, especially if it means my state losing a seat in the House of Representatives.