Starting next month, Clark County residents can help decide whether Washington receives its fair share of federal money for health care, schools, transportation and other benefits.
All you have to do is make sure you are counted in the U.S. Census.
As Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution reads, in part: “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers … The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years …”
With 2020 marking 10 years since the previous decennial census, the federal government will soon be counting anew. And there have been some changes. For the first time, the census will be conducted mostly online. Residents will receive a form in the mail, which they may return by mail or fill out online. Households that do not respond will be contacted in person by representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau has enlisted help from the Department of Homeland Security to ensure an accurate and secure count, but concerns persist. With foreign actors — notably Russia — having worked to influence the 2016 election and currently working to disrupt the 2020 election, effective cybersecurity is imperative; the census is an attractive target for those desiring to sow chaos in the United States.
Meanwhile, there also have been fears about the census being used to target undocumented immigrants residing in the United States. The Trump administration attempted to include a question about citizenship on the 2020 census, but that effort was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in June. By law, the Census Bureau may not share information with other government agencies, including the IRS and the FBI.
Indeed, there is reason to record the citizenship status of people living in this country, but the census is not the place to do it. As the Constitution clearly states, the census is simply a count of residents. All people in this country are entitled to be counted and fairly represented.
That representation is the most commonly known aspect of the census, with population counts being used to determine the number of congressional members for each state.
Following the 2010 census, Washington added a 10th congressional district because the population had grown more quickly than in other states; following this year’s count, experts say, Oregon is likely to add a sixth congressional district. Those changes alter the balance for the Electoral College in presidential elections, although changes will not be in effect until after this year.
Yet while congressional seats receive most of the attention surrounding the census, local results have a bigger impact on citizens’ lives. Counts are used to reconfigure legislative districts in addition to funding allocations.
Ensuring an accurate count requires diligence on the part of residents. Experts warn of misinformation campaigns designed to skew census results, and the Republican National Committee has sent out fundraising mailers marked as a “census.” Critics warn these could lead some residents to incorrectly believe they have filled out the official census.
If you have questions about the census, call the bureau’s helpline at 1-800-923-8282. The important thing is to make sure that all residents are counted.
