InfoSearched
Published -
- July 12, 2019
- 8:58 am
President Donald Trump will no longer pursue adding a question on citizenship to the 2020 US census questionnaire after efforts were blocked by the Supreme Court in June.
Instead, he said he had directed officials to obtain the information through an executive order for government agencies, as court challenges would have delayed a census. But will it work?
What other challenges might undermine the accuracy of the 2020 Census, and how can they be addressed?
The United States Census Bureau is gearing up to conduct the decennial Census in 2020. With the expected count of around 330 million people residing in the country, the Census is a massive operation, critical to determining the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funding, as well as the distribution of seats in the House of Representatives. However, the forthcoming Census has been the subject of controversy and debate, primarily surrounding President Donald Trump’s order to include a question about citizenship status.
President Trump’s administration has been firm in its belief that the Census should include a question about citizenship status. The administration argues that the citizenship question is essential to enforcing the Voting Rights Act, which aims to protect the voting rights of minorities. It is worth noting that the last time a citizenship question was included in the Census was in 1950. In recent years, the Census Bureau has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the Census by reaching out to historically undercounted communities, including immigrants and minorities. Critics, however, argue that including the citizenship question will discourage them from participating in the Census and lead to an undercount, potentially causing a significant underrepresentation of certain communities in government and policies affecting those communities.
Challenges to the addition of the citizenship question have already made their way to the courts. The ACLU and numerous public interest groups have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration arguing that the inclusion of the citizenship question is unconstitutional and will have a chilling effect on the Census response rates. In March 2019, the US Supreme Court began hearing arguments related to the inclusion of the citizenship question, with a ruling expected in June. A favorable ruling, however, will not necessarily settle the matter as there are still concerns that despite the decision, the inclusion of the citizenship question may still discourage some individuals, particularly in immigrant communities, from participating in the Census.
The inclusion of the citizenship question in the Census is not the only challenge that has the potential to undermine the accuracy of the Census. There are concerns about the Census Bureau’s readiness and ability to execute the 2020 Census successfully. Additionally, there is a lack of clarity in the official stance of the administration concerning the use of technology in conducting the count. Some experts have expressed concern that budget cuts, unclear policies, and other challenges could thwart the success of the count.
In conclusion, the 2020 Census is the cornerstone of American democracy and has serious implications for future policies and governmental representation in the country. The inclusion of the citizenship question may suppress participation, resulting in an undercount of certain communities. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the question will be eagerly awaited, but regardless of the decision, there are concerns regarding the readiness of the Census Bureau to execute a successful count. Despite these challenges, it is imperative that the Census tally is accurate and inclusive, reflecting equitable representations of all communities within the country.
