{"id":101433,"date":"2020-01-11T17:55:19","date_gmt":"2020-01-12T01:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/?p=101433"},"modified":"2020-01-11T18:26:02","modified_gmt":"2020-01-12T02:26:02","slug":"census-2020-is-almost-here-it-could-be-the-most-empowering-event-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/census-2020-is-almost-here-it-could-be-the-most-empowering-event-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Census 2020 is Almost Here: It could be the Most Empowering Event of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quick facts you need to know about the nation\u2019s \u201cself-portrait\u201d and who should participate (everyone except very short-term visitors), writes\u00a0Pilar Marrero<\/strong> for\u00a0Ethnic Media Services.<\/p>\n

The 2020 census is this year\u2019s most empowering and democratic event for the United States.<\/p>\n

As ordered by the U.S. Constitution, the census counts EVERYONE living in the country, no matter who they are: the undocumented, the transient, people living in remote areas or off the grid, foreign students and embassy personnel. The only people here who \u201cdon\u2019t count\u201d for the census are tourists and short-time business visitors).<\/p>\n

The year 2020 also includes presidential elections that will set the country\u2019s future course. But whereas not everyone can vote, everyone can and should participate in the census. It determines everything from political representation to access to basic services like education and health care and highways that work for all.<\/p>\n

Recent estimates peg the amount of federal spending that is directed by census data at more than $1.4 trillion annually.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe census is critical for practical reasons,\u201d said Lizette Escobedo, census director for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). \u201cBut it is also a process that gives every single Latino in the country, no matter what generation they are or their immigration status, an opportunity to say: We are present, we are here, we aren\u00b4t going anywhere and we are part of the fabric of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, the census is empowerment. And not just for Latinos, but for all communities that want to be represented in government, programs, expenditures, redistricting and even civil rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe census is the foundation of our form of representative government,\u201d said Arturo Vargas, executive director of NALEO. \u201cGiven that the House of Representatives is apportioned based on the population of each state, our ability to have representatives in Congress depends on all of us being counted.\u201d<\/p>\n

When people see it that way, they realize that the census is as important as the election \u2013 maybe more important — because it affects at least the next 10 years, until the next one is taken — and determines almost every aspect of our daily lives. A presidency can end after four years.<\/p>\n

In order for everyone to understand the census, we\u2019ve assembled a list of quick facts we all need to know about this momentous event. All the information was taken from official census materials, interviews with top census experts and webinars led by them.<\/p>\n

Seven questions, every 10 years<\/h1>\n

What is the census? The census is a self-portrait of the nation. The U. S. Constitution requires that the federal government COUNT EVERYONE LIVING IN THE COUNTRY EVERY 10 YEARS.<\/p>\n

Participating in the census amounts to answering seven questions — plus two qualifying ones — for a total of nine questions, said Peter Griffith, senior partnership specialist for the Los Angeles region of the U.S. Census Bureau.<\/p>\n

That’s it. The rewards for that are significant in resources, services and political rights.<\/p>\n

Who is counted?<\/h1>\n

Everyone means EVERYONE: people of all races and ethnic groups, citizens and NON-citizens, all adults and all children, regardless of age. \u00a0There are very few exceptions to this.<\/p>\n

The key to this is that every person should be counted, not \u201cestimated statistically\u201d or \u201ccounted via records,\u201d added Terri Ann Lowenthal, one of the nation\u2019s foremost experts on everything census.<\/p>\n

Every person who lives in United States territory on April 1 needs to be counted. Short-time visitors aren\u00b4t counted but longer-term visitors, such as foreign students and temporary workers, are. The Census Bureau webpage offers a detailed list<\/a> of who should be counted, and where.<\/p>\n

That day is known as CENSUS DAY. But the action starts long before that.<\/p>\n

To be counted, every HOUSEHOLD first has to respond to those nine questions.<\/p>\n

But what is a household?<\/h1>\n

The U.S. Census counts people by their \u201chousehold,\u201d which includes every person or persons living in a \u201csingle living quarter.\u201d Every household will get a \u201cunique I.D. number\u201d that identifies it, and this is tied to a mailing address or physical structure, not to an individual name or a family.<\/p>\n

A household can be made up of one person, or one family and the family friend who lives in a back room, or a group of roommates. At the time of response, all of them, including babies born by April 1, should be included as part of the same household. AGAIN: BABIES NEED TO BE COUNTED. Children age 0-4 were significantly undercounted in 2010 because, among other reasons, people mistakenly believed they didn\u00b4t have to be included.<\/p>\n

People are counted at their \u201cusual place of residence\u201d on Census Day, but that doesn\u00b4t necessarily mean that\u00b4s their legal, permanent residence. For example, if you\u2019re a student living in a dorm, you need to be counted there. It\u00b4s the same with group facilities like military barracks, hospitals, jails or prisons.<\/p>\n

The census also conducts an \u201cEnumeration of Transitory Locations\u201d of people who don\u00b4t have a \u201cstationary\u201d home (RV parks, marinas, agricultural workers). These locations will be visited by census takers in March and April. This does not include tourists visiting the United States or short-time business visitors — about the only people who are not counted in the U.S. Census.<\/p>\n

Residents, not \u201ccitizens\u201d<\/h1>\n

Given the fact that the census results affect politics, there\u00b4s a hot debate in some quarters about whether the census should count just citizens or all residents. The Constitution is clear about that, Lowenthal said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongress has debated whether to change the basis for apportionment to \u2018citizens\u2019 or even \u2018voters\u2019 at several points in our history, including when the Constitution was drafted, but each time, lawmakers ultimately rejected a change,\u201d she said. \u201cThe requirement says that the apportionment must be based on the \u2018whole number of persons.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, no matter who you are, you NEED to be counted in the census.<\/p>\n

Why? \u201cBecause the constitution says so,\u201d census experts say.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease include everybody in the household in the questionnaire,\u201d said NALEO\u2019s \u00a0Vargas. \u201cThe Census Bureau won\u00b4t go back to check if you listed everyone, and getting everyone to count is extremely important for our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three ways of self-responding<\/h1>\n

People insist on calling this \u201cthe first digital census,\u201d but, in reality, not everyone has to respond digitally. Some prefer to call it \u201cthe first high-tech census.\u201d But to respond online is just one option. All households will have the chance to \u201cself-respond\u201d to the census either by internet, telephone or the \u201ctraditional\u201d paper questionnaire that, until now, has been the most common method of collecting census data for more than a century.<\/p>\n

Starting March 12, 95% of households will get a package in the mail from the Census Bureau. Most people (80%) will get a LETTER with a unique ID inviting them to respond online; 20% of homes get a similar letter plus a paper questionnaire in the first mailing. The mailings will be sent in four waves (March 12, 13, 19 and 20).<\/p>\n

Then there will be as many as four more mailings:<\/p>\n