Could Michigan lose a seat in Congress?

The U.S. Census Bureau is expected to release the preliminary results of the 2010 census Tuesday morning and the result could mean a loss of one seat in the Michigan Congressional delegation.

The number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives if based on population size, but Michigan has seen a significant decline in population over the past decade.

Once the numbers are released, it will lay the ground work for lawmakers to begin the process of redistricting. Because both chambers of the Michigan legislature are controlled by Republicans — as is the governor’s office — lawmakers are expected to redesign the state districts to force sitting Democrats to challenge each other.

MLive.com reports that many expect the districts of Democratic U.S. Reps. Gary Peters and Sander Levin. The two — from the 9th and 12th districts respectively — both share representation in Oakland county.

After the 2000 census, U.S. Rep. John Conyers was forced into a primary battle with Rep. Lynn Rivers. Conyers won the primary.