The Citizenship Question Needs to Be Put Back into the Census

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the U.S. Census every ten years to determine the headcount of the United States. The results of the U.S. Census are used for several purposes, including:

• Apportionment (the process of proportionally distributing the 435 seats in the House of Representatives to the 50 states)
• Redistricting
• Determining the distribution of federal funds to state and local programs.

The Census Bureau sends the decennial Census in the form of a survey that asks questions about the respondent’s date of birth, sex, race, and income.

They asked about citizenship from 1820 to 1950.

Critics about including a citizenship question say it affects accuracy, especially among Hispanics. That is likely because they are here illegally.

One Harvard Kennedy School study estimated that at a national level, the decrease in responses spurred by the citizenship question would reduce the number of Hispanic and Latinx people counted in the Census by 6.07 million. Another study found that the inclusion of the citizenship question could potentially cause an overall 2.2% drop in Census response rates.

If they are here legally, why would it matter?

Arguments in favor state that accurate counts of citizens and noncitizens are crucial for accurate redistricting and fair elections.  Multiple court cases have established that determining whether a minoritized racial group should hold the majority in a district should be based on the number of citizens of that racial minority, rather than noncitizens.

Opinion

Not including the question hands the power over apportionment, redistricting, and funding, to Democrats because people who come illegally vote for Democrats who give them the free services they want or require and they support the world’s poor coming into the country illegally.

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