2020 Census

by Caroline Hurley

Every ten years, the U.S. government sends a packet of questions to houses all across America. It has appeared in both long and short form, and the questions have been reworded, added, and removed, but the purpose remains the same. The census is, according to the US Census Bureau, intended to serve as “the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.” In practice, that data sees its most important use in decisions about Congressional representation. 

This year, a controversy has arisen surrounding a specific question that could appear on the 2020 census. The citizenship question, which the Trump administration and many members of the Republican party are pushing for, would identify the legal status of each person’s residence. 

Questions about place of birth and naturalization have been seen on past iterations of the US census, but, if passed, the new citizenship question would be the first to directly ask the citizenship status of every member of the household.

The question’s proposal is controversial because of the lack of clarity surrounding Trump’s motivation to include it. When Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross defended the question’s importance to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. found his reasoning inadequate and “contrived”. In other words, there is good reason to think that the Republican party and the current administration have ulterior motives for asking the question.

In 2021, the states will begin using the census data to redraw district maps. If the citizenship question is included, immigrant communities will not be fully counted, as many will have to avoid the census or lie for their safety. Thus, the accuracy of the census will be negatively affected.

Although Secretary Ross and Donald Trump have both given vague answers when asked about the census, there is proof that members of the Republican party have been planning this move for a while. When Republican strategist Thomas B. Hofeller died, his daughter found hard drives in his office which contained evidence that he had written a report in 2015 claiming that a citizenship question would give Republicans a significant advantage in drawing new legislative district lines. His daughter also found a letter to the Justice Department that he drafted at the same time. This letter presented an entirely different reason for the question: to secure voting rights.

Although the idea of using census data to secure voting rights, especially for minorities, is valid, it is evident that the current administration is motivated by other reasons. The data has the potential to be helpful, but not in the hands of those that will use it solely for personal gain. In the current political climate, the citizenship question will only make life more unsafe for immigrants, give the Republican party a leg up in redefining district lines, and skew the accuracy of the census. 

At this time, it is unclear if the question will appear on the 2020 census. Some news sources report that the census has already gone into printing without the question, but Donald Trump is still determined to add it. He has claimed that he has many ways to do so, including an executive order or an addendum. 

It appears that we will have to wait until Census Day (April 1st, 2020) to find out.