NAACP Tele-Town Hall Informs About Census

The New Britain Branch of the NAACP held a tele-town hall meeting with a representative of the U.S. Census Bureau to get information about the 2020 Census.

The New Britain NAACP hosted Jamie McDonald, Partnership Specialist for the New York Regional Office of the United States Census Bureau, who explained the Census process. The town hall meeting was held by teleconference on April 1, 2020.

The census is a process, written into the United States Constitution, in which the federal government attempts to count everyone in the nation once every ten years. The count from the census is used to determine representation in the U.S. Congress, the state legislature and the City Council. It also determines how much federal funding is made available under various programs.

The census form asks information about the household replying to the census, a few detailed questions about up to six people living in the household and minimal information about other people.

The survey asks for a phone number, but McDonald explained that this is only asked for in order to assist Census workers in cases that arise, such as when two members of a family both fill out the census form for their family. If the information is different from the two people, Census workers might call to clarify the difference.

The census can be completed in three different ways, and the Census Bureau’s website has instructions for how to complete the form online, by phone or by mail.

Many people have received a letter with a code to enter when completing the census form online, but McDonald explained that the code is not necessary to have received in order to use the online census form. McDonald explained that the code makes it easier to fill out the online form by pre-filling people’s addresses, but that the online option can be used, whether or not people received a letter from the Census Bureau with a code.

McDonald explained that the purpose of the census is to count everyone in the country, whether in homes, homeless, incarcerated, in medical facilities, at colleges or elsewhere. Citizens are to be counted, as well as non-citizens, including undocumented immigrants. The census is to count every person in the country.

Many have been concerned that even discussion about the failed attempt by the Trump administration to add a citizenship question to the census form might deter people in Latino and other communities from completing the census.

The census form does ask for people’s names. But McDonald said that the Census Bureau is forbidden by law from disclosing people’s information with other government agencies.

The Census Bureau, McDonald assured, cannot pass on people’s information to ICE, the FBI, police, housing authorities or any other government agency. In fact, McDonald said that people’s personal information at the Census Bureau is protected from disclosure for seventy-two years.

The Census 2020 website explains that, “Every employee takes an oath to protect your personal information for life,” adding that,

When you respond to the census, your answers are kept anonymous. They are used only to produce statistics.

The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. The law ensures that your private information is never published and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court.

While people are to be counted in the census where they were staying as of April 1, 2020, that date was not the deadline to respond to the survey. People have until to October 31, 2020 to respond.

McDonald pointed out that college students are to be counted where they stay when attending college. The Census 2020 website says that, “Students affected by college and university closures should still be counted where they live while at school.”

Census workers are to go out door to door to try to make sure everyone is counted. The Census, McDonald said, also goes to prisons, hospitals, nursing homes and rehab facilities to count people there.

McDonald explained that Census workers go to shelters and soup kitchens in an effort to count people who are homeless. The Census had planned to send teams to count people in homeless encampments, McDonald said, but that has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even with all of the effort put into the census, past censuses have missed counting many people.

The Urban Institute has estimated that African Americans in Connecticut are at risk of being under-counted in the 2020 Census by 3.65%, apparently meaning that the Census could fail to count some 17,200 African Americans.

The Urban Institute estimated that Latino residents of Connecticut could be undercounted by 3.48%, apparently meaning that 21,500 Latino residents might not be counted.

On the other hand, the Urban Institute estimates suggested that non-Hispanic whites could be overcounted, perhaps counting 5,500 more whites than actually live in Connecticut.

People who are not counted in the census actually receive less representation by federal, state and local elected offices, and their communities can be underfunded for key programs that might benefit them. So there is a strong effort to encourage people in New Britain and other cities to be counted in the census.

As of March 31, 2020, the Census 2020 website’s response rate page reported that 38.4% of people nationwide had responded to the census and 40.2% of Connecticut residents had responded.

But, as of March 31st, only 34.0% of New Britain residents had responded. The New Britain internet response rate was 25.3%.

In 2010, the Census 2020 website says, New Britain’s “Final 2010 Self-Response” was only 62.0%.

McDonald did say that people should be concerned about scams posing as the census, saying that Census workers will never ask people for their Social Security number, credit card, donations or whether they are a United States citizen. Nor is the Census, McDonald said, affiliated with a political party.

People, McDonald said, should expect that legitimate Census workers will have a Census Bureau badge, and be carrying and iPad or other device and bag with Census logo.

McDonald also said that Census Bureau is still hiring for office jobs, people to visit locations to assist people with the census and door-to-door census takers. She did say, however the completion of the hiring process had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Census Bureau has websites explaining the jobs and how to apply at 2020census.gov/en/jobs.html in English and 2020census.gov/es/jobs.html in Spanish.

The Census Bureau’s Census 2020 website is at 2020census.gov.

“Participating in the census,” the New Britain Branch of the NAACP says, “is vital as it determines resources for your community that include federal funding, congressional representation, funding for new schools, hospitals, roads and more.”

Editor’s note (4/30/2020): The article was updated with the revised end of October 31, 2020 for online, phone and mailed self-responses to the census.