With the 2020 census being about six months away, any delay would seem to be detrimental to obtaining an accurate count. However, a delay seems to be in the realm of possibility after the most recent decision from the Department of Justice—the abandonment of the citizenship question on the 2020 Census. As of last week, the Supreme Court tentatively ruled for dropping the question, but left the ruling somewhat open to future dispute.
The data obtained from the Census allows for the appropriate numbers of House seats to be delegated to the 50 states, which determines the number of votes received in the Electoral College. However, the decision by the Supreme Court and the Department of Justice will now affect the accuracy of the process. President Trump hopes to have the Supreme Court reconsider its original ruling, as the administration did not provide the sufficient evidence that it intends to in the near future.
While any delay could interfere with the meticulous process of the Census Bureau, accuracy with regard to the count is more pressing. The Trump administration has been pushing for the potential usage of the citizenship question in the upcoming 2020 Census. President Trump has expressed that the knowledge of someone’s citizenship is critically important for proper population data.
Furthermore, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) has taken action by producing legislation that would reinstate the citizenship question. Echoing Trump, Daines reiterated the importance of knowing someone’s status, but added that individual states unfairly receive more money due to a large number of illegal immigrants living there.
Regardless of severe backlash from the left for discrimination and injustice, President Trump and other politicians continue to fight for the reinstatement of the citizen question. The sole purpose of the Census is to deliver an accurate and complete count of the American population, which the exclusion of the question threatens to impede.
Photo by Trending Topics 2019 via Flickr
