Census 2020: Information to Support the Count Julia Marks Asian - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Census 2020: Information to Support the Count

Julia Marks Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus Staff Attorney

What is the census and why is it important?

• Every ten years, the U.S. government

counts every person living in the U.S.

• Data is used to determine:

– Federal funding for local and state programs (health, housing, education) – Representation in Congress – How political districts are drawn

When is the census and how does it work?

– The Census Bureau will send invitations to respond to the census in March 2020

• Most households will first get a link and

code for the online questionnaire

• If a household does not respond, then

the Bureau will send a paper form

– You can also respond by phone

What does the government ask?

– The form asks for basic information about everyone who lives in the household

• Name, age, DOB, sex, relationship,

race, ethnicity – There might be a question about U.S. citizenship

Will the census ask me whether I am a citizen?

• The government is trying to add a question

about citizenship to the 2020 census.

• There are multiple lawsuits challenging the
• question. Three judges found the question

was unlawfully added.

• The Supreme Court is deciding an appeal
• f the issue.
• We won’t know for sure until June 2019.

What does the citizenship question look like?

Will my census information be kept confidential?

• Extremely strong data confidentiality

protections in federal law (Title 13):

– Individual responses cannot be shared with

• ther federal agencies, including

immigration enforcement – Data cannot be used for any purpose other than statistical analysis – Wrongful disclosure can lead to a $250,000 fine, up to 5 years prison, or both

Am I legally required to fill out the census?

• Yes
• Technically, not participating in Census is a

crime – Fine of up to $5,000 – Enforcement is unlikely: Last known enforcement action was in 1970

• If you do not respond, a census worker will

visit your house (up to 6 times) – Worker will have a badge and Census

Bureau materials (documents, bag) – Possibly also phone calls to your house

What happens if I don’t respond to the census?

Can I skip the citizenship question?

• Law requires complete response
• If you decide to skip one or more

questions, you will still be counted in the census – Exception: You must provide an address to be counted in the census

• If you do not respond to all of the census

questions, it is possible that a census worker will visit your house to get the missing information – The more questions you skip, the likelier it is

someone will follow up – If you only skip one or two questions, it is unlikely the Bureau will follow up

What happens if I skip some census questions?

• Possible consequences:

– Providing a false answer to the census is a crime – Confidentiality protections should prevent immigration enforcement from seeing individual responses

• There could be serious immigration

consequences if a person is found to have falsely stated they are a citizen

What if I lie about whether I am a citizen

• n the census?

• If a nonprofit is responsible for the conduct
• f illegal activities, to a substantial degree,

501(c)3 status OR 501(c)4 can be scrutinized by IRS.

What are risks for nonprofits encouraging non-response?

Widespread non-response to the citizenship question —by citizens and non- citizens—could make enforcement of voting rights laws more difficult.

What are risks for communities if people skip the citizenship question?

• Online and phone assistance in:

– English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese

• Paper form in:

– English and Spanish

• Language Guides in 59 languages

What is the Bureau’s language access program for Census 2020?

Contact:

Julia Marks Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus juliam@advancingjustice-alc.org