Outside Voices: Participation in 2020 Census is important

The participation of every person in the 2020 Census is important for you, your community and the nation.

It’s very likely this isn’t the first time you have been told this and it’s certain it will not be the last. In fact, by the time 2020 rolls around – the year in which America undertakes its once-a-decade Census – the harping to participate will be a constant, pounding drumbeat. Frankly, it’s that important.

The U.S. Census has been conducted every decade since 1790 as required by the Constitution.

The Census is a tedious process in which the nation is flooded with Census takers who literally try to count every head. The Census starts with the mailing of 100 million or so Census forms. In addition, Census takers personally deliver forms to dwellings that lack street-name and house-number addresses, often in rural and remote areas.

The goal of the Census is to count every person living in this country. It’s important to have this information as it is used for a variety of purposes such as determining representation in Congress. The number of seats in the U.S. House is fixed at 435. The state of Washington has 10 of those seats – picking up one in the 2010 Census.

In addition, the federal government allocates hundreds of billions of dollars every year to the states, counties and cities (essentially sending our tax dollars back to us) for roads, health care and other needs. The dollar amount received depends on population. The more people the more money a state, city or county receives.

Counting all the people living in this country isn’t easy. It’s made harder when some of those people who should be counted, per our Constitution, are made afraid to participate. The effort by the Trump administration to include a question on citizenship (for the first time since 1950) further complicates the counting and stokes some folks’ fears.

The question seems unnecessary as it is irrelevant to the goal of counting bodies living in the U.S. It is possible that the question will be nixed before the Census taking begins.

The chairman of Washington state’s effort to get a complete count in the Census, former Gov. Gary Locke, is advising people to simply not answer any question about citizenship. He said he plans to boycott that question.

Locke, a former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said people will still be counted if they skip the citizenship question and the Commerce Department, which administers the Census, won’t send people door-to-door if a single question is not answered.

Gov. Jay Inslee said his administration is not encouraging people to boycott any of the questions.

Ultimately, how each person answers – or doesn’t answer – the questions will be a personal choice.

The bottom line is that each person should make it a priority to be counted.

It’s the right thing to do to ensure your state and community has appropriate representation in Congress and proper reallocation of your tax dollars.