Census 2020
The 2020 Census results will determine - for the next decade - how many seats New York State will have in the US House of Representatives, and the amount of federal government resources that New York State and its localities will receive. New York is at risk of losing two Congressional seats and countless dollars in Federal funding if we have an undercount in the 2020 Census.
We were recently lucky to have Mario Garcia, Partnership Specialist from the Census speak with us. Here is a copy of the slides from his presentation - click on the icon to view:
Trump's relentless attacks on immigrants and repeated demands to include a citizenship census question on the 2020 Census could further contribute to a significant undercount of our County and State population. This would result in reduced federal resources and Congressional representation.
It is estimated that each person who is not counted will cost our municipality $2,750 in Federal funding.
Indivisible New Rochelle members talk about why getting active in the Census is an act of patriotic resistance! And why it's so important for 2020.
What can Indivisible members do to help ensure a Complete Count in 2020? We can become part of our community's Complete Count Committee, we can get to know the Hard to Count communities in our area and we can educate our friends, neighbors, co-workers and family on why the Census is so important.
Complete Count Committees
We need to work with our local municipalities -- our town/village/city officials to make sure a Complete Count Committee (CCC) has been established. If a CCC is established, asked to join. Indivisible groups are grassroots organizations our Get Out the Vote goals are very aligned with Complete Count. Everyone counts.
CCC's are highly localized and serve as a network of key stakeholders for engaging the community in the Census. Examples of Complete Count Committee sub-Committees include: Youth, Senior Citizens, Labor, Veterans, Nonprofits, Business and Faith-based.
Here are links to some key documents:
The first step in getting a Complete Count is ensuring that people understand why a Census is important, why they count. Many don't realize the direct relationship between the Census and Congressional representation and Federal funding for programs.
Hard to Count Communities
Where are the Hard to Count areas in your community? You can check this map to see Westchester County Census tracts, and which ones are hard to count. You can click on any Census tract to view details. You can also use the full map at https://www.census.gov/roam
Census Education
Many people don't realize the direct relationship between the Census and Congressional representation, Federal funding and essential community resources, such as schools and hospitals. It can not be too soon to educate them and pass along the message. Below is a bilingual fact sheet which serves as a general explainer for the Census.