Point of View: Calling on our leadership to promote the census to counter pandemic impact

Staff Writer

Palm Beach Post

A 2020 census letter mailed to a U.S. resident, is shown in Detroit, Sunday, April 5, 2020. The Census Bureau is required by federal statute to send the president the counts that will be used to carve up congressional districts -- known as apportionment -- and draw state legislative districts by Dec. 31. The new coronavirus COVID-19 spread forced the U.S. Census Bureau to suspend field operations

During the COVID-19 pandemic and with nationwide protests around racial injustice, we seek efforts from our leadership to highlight ways to empower our communities and ensure we receive the necessary resources to weather these storms. The Census gives a voice to every individual for federal funding of their communities, and for fair civic representation. We are non-profit organizations committed to enhancing the lives of the individuals and families in our community and we are alarmed at the weak self-response rates in Florida for the 2020 Census.

We ask our national, state and local government officials to use your influence to help improve census response in your community. As of July 28, Palm Beach county self-response rate is 60.4%. The self-response rates are below the national average of 62.6% and the Florida average of 59.7%.

Our congressional district response rates are the following:

– District # 20 response rate is 57%

– District # 21 response rate is 61%

We remind you that in 2010 Florida posted the 3rd largest state omissions (missing 1.4 million people), with a resultant estimated loss of $20 billion in federal funding to Florida over the 10 years between the 2010 Census and 2020. We do not want a repeat performance in 2020. Federal funding that is determined by the Census accounts for more than 1/3 of Florida’s state budget revenues. The stakes are huge: for each adult and child missed, Florida’s state and local budgets will lose an estimated $15,000 per person per year. The good news is that the timetable for the Census self-response has been extended until October 31, 2020 so that there is time to remedy your constituency’s weak response rate.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that all Census counting efforts is extended until September 30, 2020 instead of the original extended date of October 31. However, there is still time to remedy your constituency’s weak response rate.

What can you do?

– Please encourage your constituents to complete their census: include Census messaging in your town halls, on your social media, in your newsletters, and in your staff’s daily personal interactions with your constituents.

– Tell your followers that it is important, it is easy to complete and their information is completely private.

– You can refer your constituents to our Florida Counts Census 2020 coalition of Florida 501c3 non-profits to www.FLCounts.com or if they have questions they can text “Census” to “66539” and we will help them.

Please help us boost Census participation. For Floridians, the next 10 years will be defined by how we perform on the Census now.

Florida Counts Census 2020 is a philanthropic initiative to improve the census count in Florida. The eight 501(c)(3) non-partisan organizations spearheading this initiative are: Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, Florida Philanthropic Network, Florida Nonprofit Alliance, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida C3 Civic Engagement Table, Urban League of Broward County, The New Florida Majority Education Fund and Ventus Charitable Foundation.

SCOTT HANSEL AND DURANDISSE, MIAMI

Editor’s note: Hansel is CEO of Housing Partnership and Reginale Durandisse, and CEO/Founder of For The Children.