Our Opinion: An important and worrisome census

Posted Friday, December 6, 2019 10:51 am

The federal census conducted every 10 years is always important, It affects legislative districts to city electoral precincts. It determines grant money for nonprofits and educational benefits to students. The 2020 census is no different except in one critical way — it may be the most worrisome one ever conducted.

The census will come in the wake of a failed attempt by the Trump administration's Commerce Department to put a citizenship question on the census in a transparent bid to discourage immigrants in the country unlawfully or legal immigrants who may have family members who are not here legally to avoid filling out the census. The resulting undercount could hurt states that are not politically sympathetic to the president's Republican Party. The census is charged with counting everyone in the country and the federal government has historically not made efforts to undermine that effort.

Members of the The Berkshire Complete Count Committee met with The Eagle editorial board last week to discuss the challenges and pitfalls in the months ahead as the census process unfolds. Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) members on the committee and state Reps. Paul Mark, a Peru Democrat, and Tricia Farley-Bouvier, a Pittsfield Democrat, emphasized the importance of every Berkshire resident responding to the census, with Rep. Mark observing that "The number we get we have to live with for 10 years."

Berkshire County lost the U.S. congressional seat held by Rep. John Olver following the last census, and while the state is not likely to lose another seat, the declining population of the western end of the state and the growing population of the eastern end will almost certainly mean that the already huge districts of Rep. Mark and state Sen. Adam Hinds are likely to expand eastward and add even more towns. A full count of those residing in each community is necessary to at least minimize the impact of that expansion, said Rep. Mark, who chairs the House Committee on Redistricting.

An accurate count is also needed to assure that Berkshire towns get their fair share of federal grant money from more than 50 different programs. BRPC data and technology manager Mark Maloy, who serves as facilitator of the county's Complete Count Committee, said that the committee's volunteers will be working to assure that traditionally hard-to-count populations — renters, minorities, the young and mobile, residents of low income and little education — are counted, and the irony is that these are the people that most benefit from the grant programs whose largesse is determined by the census. It is to their advantage to be counted.

Rep. Farley-Bouvier told The Eagle that the attempt to add the citizenship question had done "great damage" to efforts to build trust in government among those in Pittsfield and the county who are unlikely to respond to the census. Even though the administration's effort was shot down by the courts, trust must be rebuilt.

"The best way to stand up to these shenanigans," said Ms. Farley-Bouvier, "is to fill out this form and say you will not be intimidated."

The census will be conducted essentially online in 2020, which while understandable increases the possibility of shenanigans. Mr. Maloy said the committee will work with communities to help those who are not computer friendly to fill out forms but he warned that there will undoubtedly be fake census websites established to confuse residents and try to gather banking or Social Security data. For the first time, the federal census overseers chose not to budget a Pittsfield office, leaving Worcester as the closest office.

The Complete Count Committee will be working in the months ahead to keep Berkshire residents informed about the process and assist municipalities in overcoming any obstacles that may emerge. Berkshire residents should reciprocate by filling out the census. With its dwindling populace, Berkshire County needs everyone to be counted — for now and for the decade ahead.