CENSUS 2020: BEING COUNTED IS IMPERATIVE

CENSUS 2020: BEING COUNTED IS IMPERATIVE

The implications of a complete count in the 2020 Census are more important in this moment than in at any time in the last 100 years. Faced with a pandemic unlike anything we’ve seen in a century, we cannot lose sight of the fact that census results are used to inform planning and funding for hospitals, health clinics, emergency preparedness and even school lunch programs. And, as is playing out on our televisions screens daily, the disparities in these areas are matters of life or death for people of color. Yet our hard to count communities are the ones most likely not to complete their census forms. Shifting our thinking to make the 2020 Census a priority is imperative!

The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to count everyone living in the United States every 10 years. EVERYONE, since the first census was taken in 1790 . In the beginning, this accurate comprehensive count was important because it determined the number of representatives a state would have in Congress. The Founders carefully chose the word “resident” not “citizen” because southern slave owners insisted that their slaves be counted too – albeit as three-fifths a person. The bitter irony of that – counting slaves so a state would continue to have the political power in Congress to continue to enslave them – should not escape any of us.

Fast forward to Decennial Census 2020. Before a single form has been distributed in our state, the uphill battle towards an accurate count has been made steeper than ever. Debate over the “citizenship question” – cynically orchestrated to chill immigrant participation whether the question made it onto the actual census form or not – has all but guaranteed that states like Illinois with large immigrant populations will face extra challenges in reaching these communities. For the first time Cook County residents can complete the census online and that has heightened the usual fears over privacy and confidentiality. Misinformation and myths have served only to increase resistance to responding. Here are some facts to dispel those myths. Census information is completely confidential. No one will tell your landlord about your unauthorized roommate. And children under five count too!

This year, Cook County – along with the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois – have invested significant dollars to ensure that everyone is counted. No one can make you complete your census form. And despite dire warnings in some newscasts about fines, the U.S. Census Bureau could not provide a single example of a fine being levied for failure to complete the form.

But, here is why we are working so hard and investing so much to ensure everyone is counted. It is not for the benefit of the government; it is for the benefit of the people served by the government. That means YOU. Your political power is determined by your responses to the census. Funding for schools, hospitals, roads, water systems, and other public infrastructure is determined by the census. This is about YOUR rights. Not the rights of government.

Every census count has been must do everything in our power to ensure a complete and accurate count!

You may complete the 2020 Census on line at www.my2020census.gov , by calling the U.S. Census Bureau at 844-330-2020 or by mail. It can take less than ten minutes and the impact lasts for 10 years. For more information about Cook County’s efforts for a complete count visit https://www.cookcountyil.gov/census

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