Letter: Accurate census critical to state

Posted Saturday, July 27, 2019 12:15 pm

To the editor:

The decennial census, though it may appear to be a glorified questionnaire, is actually the cornerstone of our democracy and has far-reaching implications for our daily lives. The population count collected from the census determines congressional reapportionment and allocation of federal funds for public services such as education, health, and infrastructure. Each person who participates in the census helps to ensure that federal programs are better funded throughout the Berkshires and the commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Trump administration spent months attempting to undermine the census by adding a citizenship question, one that would deter vulnerable communities from participating. The goal was to produce an undercount of minority populations, which would skew funding and representation away from Democratic strongholds (immigrant and urban communities) into more conservative ones.

Ultimately the Supreme Court was asked to weigh in. The weeks leading up to and following the census case were tense and filled with uncertainty. Was there going to be a citizenship question on the 2020 census? Would we see an unprecedented undercount? Was the president going to create a constitutional crisis over Twitter?

Understandably, the issue of whether or not the census would be undermined had many of us on the edges of our seats. Fortunately, the issue was resolved in the courts: there will be no citizenship question on the census.

But we cannot let this relief become complacency. Understanding what is at stake is only the first step. In order to combat an undercount, we must talk and educate about the upcoming census at every opportunity. MassCounts is a coalition of nonprofits across Massachusetts has begun this work. Let's support their efforts and come together to ensure an accurate census count.

Naomi Truax,

Tyringham