- Funding for PUBLIC SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, and FIRE DEPTS
- Sets new VOTING DISTRICT boundaries
- Determines number of Congressional Representatives
- Number of Congressional Representatives affects the Electoral College
What is it?
The Census is a constitutionally mandated count of the population of the United States and its five U.S territories. It is completed every 10 years.
So what?
The census population data is used to distribute federal funding for schools, hospitals, fire departments road and other resources. Additionally the census determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S House of Representatives, and is used to draw the state and congressional legislative districts.
The Administration is pushing the Census Bureau to end its counting a month early- on September 30th, time that the Bureau “indicated in April would be necessary to count every person living in the U.S given major setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Additionally, due to Census Bureau estimates Pennsylvania is slated to lose a congressional district, which will also result in the loss of a vote in the Electoral College.
As of 8/10/20 the self-response rate for Lancaster County, PA is 75.2%, which is higher than the state response rate of 66.3%.
What now?
A full and complete count of the population is required by the Constitution of the United States. Undercounting will have long reaching affects for the next 10 years, and we must remind and encourage everyone to be counted.
We need to push our Members of Congress not to allow the census to end early, as the Bureau does not believe the time will be adequate.
Make sure you’ve filled out your census report by mail, or online at: https://my2020census.gov/. Tell your friends and family to do the same.
Sources:
https://2020census.gov/en.html
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/30/896656747/when-does-census-counting-end-bureau-sends-alarming-mixed-signals
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2020-census-10-states-could-lose-congressional-district-after-census-analysis-finds/
