Census Bureau to Cut 2020 Count Short, Sparking Fears Many Will Be Left Out
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Census Bureau has announced plans to cut its 2020 counting efforts short by a full month, sparking fears that many, including people of color and immigrants, could be left out this year.
In a statement published on Monday evening, the Census Bureau said it would be ending its field data collection by September 30, a month earlier than had been expected.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, counting for the 2020 census had been set to wrap up by the end of July. However, in the midst of the outbreak, the bureau said it would need more time. It pushed the deadline back to October 31, with the public support of President Donald Trump.
The decision to end the extension early, the Census Bureau said, was made to ensure that apportionment, which sees the 435 seats in the House of Representatives divvied up according to population sizes, was completed ahead of the statutory deadline of December 31.
But while the Census Bureau maintained that it still "intends to meet a similar level of household responses as collected in prior censuses, including outreach to hard-to-count communities," many responded to the announcement with skepticism and concerns that the change could see people across the country left out.
"This is a massive scandal," Ari Berman, the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights, wrote in a tweet.
"If you haven't already, fill out 2020 census NOW. It takes 5 min, you can do online [and the] future of American democracy depends on it."
ProPublica journalist Dara Lind also expressed concerns, telling followers to "make sure you have submitted your census information" and "make sure everyone you know has submitted their census information."
"Participation is important," Lind said. "And you have less time than expected."
As it stands, roughly 4 out of 10 households have yet to be counted in the 2020 Census, according to NPR, which had first reported the possibility of data-collection efforts ending early.
Democratic lawmakers and census advocates have repeatedly expressed fears the White House is pressuring the Census Bureau to curtail counting efforts so Republicans can benefit when House seats are reapportioned and voting districts are redrawn.
Meanwhile, immigration and civil rights advocates have further accused the Trump administration of seeking to rush the census to block immigrants, people of color and other marginalized groups from being counted, with the government already having sought to have undocumented immigrants excluded from the census.
"The Trump administration is doing everything it can to sabotage the 2020 Census so that it reflects an inaccurate and less diverse portrait of America," Vanita Gupta, the president and chief executive officer of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, wrote in an opinion piece published on Monday by The Washington Post. "Its latest effort involves quietly compressing the census timeline to all but guarantee a massive undercount."
"Rushing census operations, as the administration is attempting to do, ensures the bureau won't count millions of people—especially those hit hardest by the pandemic," Gupta said. "It will leave the country with inaccurate numbers that deprive communities of resources, political power and the federal assistance necessary to recover from the pandemic for the next 10 years."
"The 2020 Census is the largest, most complex population count in the nation's history—one made more difficult by the emergence of COVID-19 and the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to undermine a decade of careful planning by the Census Bureau," Gupta asserted.
However, she said, "because the census determines funding for resources such as hospitals and health care, public schools, and infrastructure—as well as the number of seats in Congress each state receives and how legislative districts are drawn—it is imperative to get the count right."
Newsweek has contacted the Census Bureau and the White House for comment.
The U.S. Census logo appears on census materials received in the mail with an invitation to fill out census information online on March 19, 2020 in San Anselmo, California. The Census Bureau has announced plans to cut data collection efforts short by a month.Justin Sullivan/Getty
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My home state of WV apparently had one of the lowest estimated census response rates, and I don't think those rates improved much after appeals by officials to fill out their forms. They already get the short end of the stick in regards to funding, and have little representation due to their small population. Refusal to fill out the form, and cutting short the census, will do real harm.
I think some people want places like California to lose seats.
I have actually heard people say, I am not going to give the government all my information. All I could think is, they already have it dumbass.
Probably so.
I remember the 2000 census long form, which some of my family thought was too intrusive. IIRC, one question was about how many toilets were in a household. I just didn't see that as being all that bad.
I can only shake my head at some. The government already has your numbers. Even things about your house people can find out about online through realty sites.
Unless someone lives completely off the grid and builds without plans or permits, nothing is a secret.
The three states with the highest percentage of undocumented immigrants. If they aren't counted, Texas looses about 2 million and Florida almost a million in population. No worries...
California will lose a 2nd seat and Florida and Texas will have their increases reduced by one. All three seats would go to other red states. California losing two seats is a great thing since democrats have a 45-8 advantage now and no way to cut our 8 further.
You get that from your magic 8 ball?
there is a good chance dependant on the numbers that NY will loose a seat as will Illinois .
The bottom line is that they added two extra months to the count and data collection from end of June to end of September. It must be completed by December 31.
Your math is wrong. They were originally given 3 extra months, pushing the deadline back from the end of July to the end of October. Now, they have until the end of September. That's 2 extra months. And it's not counting that must be completed by December 31st; it's apportionment of seats in the House, which should be based on the most accurate numbers possible, yes?
The most accurate counting of American citizens and legal resident aliens for congressional seats. They can count the hostile illegal invaders for all other purposes but not for representation in our lower legislative body.
I said nothing about citizens vs. illegal immigrants. You do realize it's likely there are citizens who haven't been counted yet, right?
Why not? Oh and please use your words to reply Xx.
Because you don’t deserve extra representation in Congress compared to me because a lot of enemy invaders who couldn’t be bothered to try to get here the right way happen to live near you and not near me.
How is counting each person giving ANYONE 'extra representation' Xx?
Oh and how does counting all of the people in my rural Indiana county give me 'extra representation' than you will get by counting all of the people in your rural California county?
BTFW, I suggest that you read Article 1, Section 2 the fucking Constitution and get someone to explain to you what 'the whole number of free persons' means.
Just more conservative Republican shenanigans as they try to cling to power knowing that an actual full accounting wouldn't be good for their favored white Christian patriarchy.
So the deadline was extended by three months, which has been cut back to two months. Isn't that enough time for everyone to be counted...if they want to be counted.
That is still plenty of time to for all kinds of fraudulent mischief to occur. I am sure the liberal Democrats have their own shenanigans planned or going on even as we speak, concerning the census
From the NYT....."The census has many bosses," said Kenneth Prewitt, the bureau's director under President Bill Clinton. "The idea that somehow the White House could control the census in a manner that would have implications for the allocation of seats to the states or to the redistricting process is silly."
I am sure the liberal Democrats have their own shenanigans planned or going on even as we speak, concerning the census.
Prove it.
Those were the good old days [2009] when most Americans couldn't even imagine what the WH is willing to do to this country.
Got the form in the mail. Sent back.
Did mine online.
So did I. It took all of 5 minutes to complete.
I was part of the pre census which was I guess a test run of the forms or something to find any problems they might have. Then I had to take the regular census which was as far as I remember the same as the pre census test. I got the stuff in the mail but completed them online. I think people must just be lazy cause it takes two minutes and isn't complicated so if they can't be bothered then they deserve less,
Agreed.
I think this one census is going to be interesting to watch, I completed the online version , was mailed a mailer , filled it out and included the number given for the online version , and its been announced that actual workers should be in the area in the next couple weeks ….if one shows up I will give them my online number I saved to my computer.
Sure, but specifically people of color and immigrants. So it's not some kind of racist effort to exclude those people.
So, it's not being rushed. They actually used more time than they had initially planned on using. This panic-mongering is despicable.
And of course they're framing it as some kind of racist conspiracy by Trump and the GOP. The false Propaganda by the Left is never ending.
That is the bottom line here!
Right. Because if they were to stop counting early, only people of color would remain uncounted. Because . . . "everybody knows it." And if you want them to come up with a reason that might be true, then that's proof that you're racist.
I know it may come as a shock to some here but I was hired by the United States Government to be a Census taker WAY back in March.
They had me go have my finger prints and picture taken and did a full background check on me.
Another shock, I passed the background test.
Then I didn't hear a word from them, zilch, NADA, for months.
Then all of a sudden, they contacted me and had me submit all of the final documentation. That was early July. Since then, again, zilch, NADA.
I can't help be wonder if they're just using 'hires' as 'data' and not actually putting a lot of those that were hired to work.
'Oh we hired plenty of Census takers to get the job done.'
Ironically, today a Census taker knocked on my door and and asked me what I knew about my neighbor. My first reaction was 'None of your bee's wax' but then I remembered that my neighbor is a newbee to the hood and though I have met him, have his phone # and recognize his truck, after 2 months I don't know a hell of a lot else about him to tell, other than he has an awesome beard and instead of a weed whacker he uses a propane torch on his weeds.
Likely the companies that are contracted to do the hiring, background checks, and process the paperwork for pre-employment get paid a set amount for each potential hire they process so they try to pump up their bill by doing pre-employment screening on far more people than they'll ever need. This isn't a Left or Right problem it's a systemic problem with the Government and Government Contractors in general that's been going on forever. If there's a way to scam more money while legally fulfilling the contract then they do it and I believe most of the time the contracts are purposely written in a way that allows the scam.
It doesn't matter if the contracts are written to allow scams, the US government rarely if ever holds contractors accountable for violating the terms anyway. Halliburton and KBR overcharged for their 'services' in the hundreds of millions and they are STILL getting government cost + contracts.