March, 27 2018, 08:30am EDT
Citizenship Question Threatens A Fair and Accurate Census
Statement by Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn
WASHINGTON
Americans deserve a fair and accurate census where everyone within the borders of our country are counted, regardless of their citizenship status. The inclusion of the citizenship question threatens that constitutional requirement and politicizes this process.
The Trump Administration's anti-immigrant rhetoric, policies, and actions pose a real threat our nation's democracy for the next decade. The addition of the question on citizenship to the 2020 Census form is apparently the latest way the Trump administration attempts to intimidate and threaten communities of color and the immigrant community.
This is an attempt to racially rig the census and undercount communities of color, and goes against the fair representation our democracy relies on. An accurate Census is essential in the redrawing of our congressional and legislative districts and budgeting decisions that impact our schools, hospitals, roads, and veterans. By adding the citizenship question, the Trump administration is threatening the accuracy of data we use as nation to make essential decisions about our children's future.
NOTE: Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn and Vincent Barabba, the former director of the Census Bureau under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter, recently wrote an op-ed in U.S. News & World Report on why adding the citizenship question to the 2020 Census is bad idea. Click here to read that op-ed.
To view this release online, click here.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.
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