By: Edward Adu-Gyamfi
As the time to submit the census collection forms draws nearer, I find myself having to remind Americans of a basic civic duty often overlooked. The United States census is a population count that occurs every ten years. It is the only way for the government to truly ascertain the number of people residing within its borders and serves as the only true representation of every person, big or small, young or old, in the US. The census does not take into account a person’s citizenship status. It does not care whether you hold a green card or if you’re an “illegal” immigrant. The census is generally administered by April 1st, every ten years (decennial), with the last one completed by April 1st of 2010. It’s been administered every ten years by the Census Bureau since 1790. With the current state of the US—due to the mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis—the bureau made an unprecedented move to allowing the Census to be taken online. As an added measure, the bureau sent letters briefing households on the census and paper versions to fill out for both the people not accustomed to the internet version and those without internet. The United States Census Bureau made sure to cover all its bases this election year. The paper versions come in both English and Spanish: the two most populous languages in the country. Online, there are 13 language choices available for people not comfortable with answering in English. This is accompanied by videos and guides for 59 other languages ranging from Albanian to Yoruba.
Now you might be wondering why answering some seemingly meaningless questions means so much to people. The answer to that question is a fairly simple one. The census is the thing that determines what assets are allocated to regions. It determines where federal funding gets dedicated and how much of these funds will be dedicated to schools, housing, roads, social programs backed by the government, etc. The most important thing the census decides is how much representation a state gets. With the US House of Representatives permanently capped at 435, the result of an arbitrary act (see the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929), the persons apportioned per representative fluctuates every decade. Accurately filling out the Census helps you do your part in impacting a major decision that affects you and everyone else in the country. For the people that need more convincing, completing the Census is a constitutional right given to all inhabitants within the US. Article I, Section II of the US Constitution states, “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”. Simply put, the Constitution demands the “House” be an accurate representation of the country’s true population. One begins to wonder why certain individuals in power continue to try and undermine the accepted law of the land by causing the final submission date to be moved up a month. Why attempt to invalidate the results of millions when you should be the one striving to ensure their protection? Nevertheless, that’s a discussion for another time. Fittingly, however, the filling out of the Census is just the beginning of the domino effect. You fill out your Census, an unnamed representative gets assigned to your constituency, you vote for whomever you want that representative to be, they go on to represent you in Congress and make laws that impact you and work in your best interest.
The last time the Census was administered, it was found that the United States had a population of approximately 309 million people. As the following decade progressed, that population of the country is also believed to have increased. Why not do your part in making sure the new estimated population is truly representative of the population within the country. The current census count closes on September 30th, leaving less than a week to complete a 10-minute questionnaire. Make sure your family has completed theirs and reach out to others to make sure the voice you possess is used in your favor.
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