The Constitution mandates that everyone in the United States must be counted every 10 years. This tally determines how the congressional seats will be divided among the states. For decades, it has also shaped how trillions of federal funds are disbursed over the following decade. Both of these aims have far-reaching implications for citizens’ lives and how political and economic power is divvied up. This accounts for the vigorous efforts by elected officials to get a high participation rate among their constituents.
Census Day is April 1, and under the Census Bureau, part of the Department of Commerce, every household in the United States received a questionnaire with a unique 12-digit ID to respond online if one wished. Based on the figures released by the Census Bureau, most opted to respond via the web instead of mailing the document. Follow-up phone calls also raised what officials called the response rate.
The households which did not respond (or had incomplete answers) started receiving follow-up visits by an army of enumerators in August. Traditionally, these visits begin in May, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the operation.
The Census 2020 effort has been politicized, critics charge. The Trump administration attempted to place a question about residents’ citizenship status on the census form, but was rebuffed by the Supreme Court. After first agreeing to end the count on Oct. 31 due to the pandemic delays, the administration did an about face and decided to stop the tally on Sept. 30. In addition, the president directed that undocumented residents should be removed from the final count for purposes of congressional apportionment. The citizenship records would come from state and federal databases. Both of these directives have drawn lawsuits and court actions, and their fate is not known.
Critics of the administration claim that these moves will threaten an accurate count.|
The Local Angle
In February 2019, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran launched the Nassau County Complete County Committee (CCC) in partnership with Health and Welfare Council of Long Island (HWCLI), It’s aim, per a press release, was to engage “key constituencies to increase awareness and motivate residents to complete the Census. Subcommittees focused on outreach to businesses, local government, senior citizens, communications, early childhood providers, education, faith-based outreach, people of color and immigrants.”
The county also held several Census 2020 job fairs and other initiatives promoting the census.
The publication Long Island Counts: 2020 Census Report, authored by the Office of Nassau County Comptroller, the HWCLI and CCC, made a stark case for being counted. “If we don’t count our families, we render them invisible for the next 10 years and we can count on overcrowded classrooms, congested and neglected highways, underfunded hospitals and empty storefronts on our Main Streets until the next Census,” it noted.
A press release from Curran’s office stated, “The census is used to fund $675 billion in federal programs, including for hospitals, roads and bridges, public schools, disaster assistance, food assistance (including SNAP and the National School Lunch Program), Section 8 housing, Head Start and the Community Development Block Grants. Businesses also use Census data to make investment, hiring, and re-location decisions.”
County Comptroller Jack Schnirman, in a statement to Anton Media Group, said, “The report released by my Office’s Policy and Research Unit, This is Nassau: Demographic Profile, showed big changes to our communities that will continue in the years ahead. The Census needs to accurately capture that, which is why we absolutely cannot afford an undercount.”
Part of the effort, he said, was to “involve people from these hard-to-count communities directly in the process. We can do that best by making sure that residents from these hard-to-count communities are the ones doing the outreach to their neighbors.”
Response rate maps from the Census Bureau show that county areas with minority and immigrant populations have much lower participation.
Have No Fear, And Be Counted
Enumerators have faced resistance from people who are suspicious of the federal government, and also fear that the information may be used to uncover and prosecute undocumented aliens.
(Photo by U.S. Census Bureau)
The federal Census Act prohibits the Census Bureau from disclosing individual census responses, even to other government agencies.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law has set up the Census Protection Hotline for individuals who have questions or concerns about the census process. It has partnered with civil rights organizations representing ethnic minorities. Hotlines will also answer calls in Arabic and eight Asian languages.
The release stated, “Individuals can ask any question related to the census such as when the census starts/ends; if everyone has to fill out a questionnaire; how information is kept confidential; or how to fill out the form for different living situations [such as] shared custody, multiple family members, child in college, family member. Individuals can also call in to report problems in being counted.”
Call 888-268-6820 or email 888COUNT20@lawyerscommittee.org for more information.
Every region has been assigned “census ambassadors” to work with local leaders to ensure the highest possible participation.
The ambassadors’ “Talking Points” printout stated, “We will live with the consequences of these questions for the next 10 years. We only have one chance to get this right. The funding levels and congressional seats that are set in the 2020 Census cannot be changed until 2030. This is our only opportunity to set Long Island on the right course for the decade ahead.”
The printout added, “Every single person counts. The census can be a tool for empowerment and bringing our communities together. It is a bipartisan issue—everyone benefits when everyone is counted. By completing the census, we can all contribute to a brighter future for our region.”
Anton Media Group was promised an interview with a Census Bureau representative, but had not been contacted as of press time.
How To Respond
Online: Go to www.2020census.gov and use the 12-digit Census ID that can be found on the questionnaire you received from the Census Bureau.
Phone: Call 844-330-2020. Numerous languages are offered.
Mail: Most households received a census form in the mail in March. Complete the form using blue or black ink and return it in the envelope provided. If the return envelope is lost, mail it to: U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center, 1201 E 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47132
