Millions of dollars at risk for Washington state in 2020 Census sweepstakes
Talk about bad timing. A few days before Gov. Jay Inslee issued his March stay-home, stay-safe orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Census Bureau began its once-per-decade survey of American households, required by the Constitution and critical to the allocation of federal funds to states.
Naturally, the pandemic stymied the effort. Census takers have yet to hear from approximately 30 percent of Washington state residents.
If you haven’t completed the Census form yet, we urge you to do so, keeping in mind the Sept. 30 deadline, moved ahead one month by the Trump Administration.
Last week a coalition led by the National Urban League asked a federal judge to extend the response deadline to Dec. 31, a reasonable request considering the circumstances. They argue the imminent deadline for data collection will have grave consequences.
According to the Commerce Department inspector general, the 2020 census is suffering from a shortage of 80,000 workers. A deadline extension makes sense, especially considering a lagging count will result in our state losing billions of dollars.
According to the state’s Office of Financial Management, for every 100 households missed in the 2020 Census count, the state could lose up to $5.8 million.
Undercounting will also have a disproportionate impact on communities historically undercounted, chiefly people of color, people with limited English skills, people experiencing homelessness, undocumented immigrants and people who identify as LGBTQ.
The government uses census statistics to determine family nutrition programs, Medicaid, The Children’s Health Insurance Program, special education grants, early childhood learning programs and foster care funding, to name just a few.
This year Pierce County was chosen to be one of three US counties to test canvassing abilities, so if you haven’t already responded to the census survey by mail, online or phone, expect a knock at your door.
For those wanting to avoid an encounter, we suggest the user-friendly website. Of course it won’t help those without internet access, and that’s what has Nancy Aguilar, spokesperson for the Washington Commission on Hispanic Affairs, worried.
As she told a member of the Editorial Board, “Hispanic/Latino households are at risk of being undercounted, something that’s been happening for decades.”
It’s why she and her team created 2020 Census communication tool kits in English and Spanish. They’ve made radio public service announcements, traveled statewide to small businesses, farms and meatpacking plants.
They’ve stood in front of churches and gone door-to-door, all in an effort to get every person counted. They’ve been smart about it, too, marrying efforts with food drives and handing out masks.
“If people of color aren’t reached, the implications are vast,” Aguilar told us. “The census shapes political representation and the allocation of funding over the next decade; it determines state Electoral College votes, as well as how local, state and federal legislative district lines are drawn.”
The pandemic is one hurdle among many. Earlier this year, the Trump Administration stoked fears by insisting the census include a question about citizenship. Washington was one of several federal states that sued; the administration lost after the case was heard by the US Supreme Court.
The justices determined that for census purposes, numbers, not citizenship, matter most. Local governments use the data for infrastructure, roads, mass transportation, public safety and emergency preparedness.
Still, it’s hard to convince folks the information gathered by the government is kept confidential and won’t have negative consequences.
Aguilar says the Hispanic Commission reminds people the Census Bureau is bound by the Title 13 code, which prohibits any information to be admitted as legal evidence or used for any purpose other than data collection. The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The bottom line is that numbers from the 2020 Census will determine Washington’s path for the next decade. Everyone needs to be counted.
As Aguilar put it, “We need to be brave and exercise our obligation to our civic duty, if not for us, for the children who will need these resources to become the leaders of tomorrow.”