Census The U.S. Census is required under the U.S. Constitution to occur every 10 years and is the process of counting every resident in the country. For the first time ever, in 2020 the Census will be primarily digitally based.
Why it matters The U.S. Census data is used to make decisions around education, healthcare, infrastructure, and political representation. With increased growth in the country, getting an accurate and complete count of every person living within is crucial to ensure that each state receives funding to support the number of residents in each state. This Census the focus continues to be on reaching hard to count communities and ensuring these communities get included in the Census count.
What we're doing The League of Women Voters is partnering with the Census to encourage people to fill out the forms. LWVUS Census activities
Important 2020 Census Updates - Apportionment Data Release Date (Congressional Seats)
Apportionment and Redistricting Updates
We do have some very important updates to announce regarding apportionment and redistricting data. Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau released a blog written by Michael Thieme, assistant director for Decennial Census Programs, Systems and Contracts, which focuses on Census Data Processing. The blog digs deeper into how census data processing works to ensure the census is accurate and why the enormously complex process must happen in a certain order that takes time.
Another blog, authored by James Whitehorne, chief of the Redistricting and Voter Rights Data Offices, outlines how the Census Bureau expects to deliver apportionment by April 30 and the redistricting data to the states and the public by September 30.
Please follow the blog links to learn more about those important topics. In addition, our census website contains entire sections on Congressional Apportionment and Frequently Asked Questions. I would highly recommend this reading for anyone seeking clarification on the difference between apportionment and redistricting. The FAQ section was just revised last month and provides information on many of the topics you discuss with members of our partnership team.
US Census COVID-19 Data Hub
I would also like to recommend our recently released US Census Bureau Covid-19 site, which contains demographic and economic data designed to help guide decision-making related to the pandemic. This two-page brief provides a description for this robust and informative interactive site.
Ian Hull, Acting Regional Director
New York Region
U.S. Census Bureau
