A year from today the US government will begin the 2020 census. Whether a question about citizenship should be included on the form is still to be decided by the courts.
A census of the US population is undertaken once every decade. The information collected helps the federal government decide how it should allocate and spend more than $800 billion every year. The data also affects redistricting and therefore can shape political power in the country.
There are many challenges to obtaining an accurate record. To ensure as many people complete the form as possible, the government has made it available to be completed in several different ways. US households can either fill out the form online, on paper, or by calling a toll-free number. If no form is completed in one of the three ways mentioned above, the government will send an individual to obtain the information from the household in person. The government has also more than doubled the number of languages in which the form can be completed as compared to what was offered in 2010, the last time the census was taken. There have also been changes to the race question to drill down more specifically the ethnicity of the person, a change allegedly made in order for the Census Bureau to better understand the way people identify themselves.
The most controversial amendment to the census and one which is being challenged in court deals with the issue of whether or not the census should include a citizenship question. Nominated for inclusion by the Trump administration, it is argued that the question violates administrative law and is unconstitutional as it may impede the government’s ability to count every person living in the country as people who are in the US illegally may be reluctant to complete the form. To date, two federal judges have ruled against the question being included. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case later this month.
The Census Bureau has said it needs a decision on the issue by June 2019 to enable it to finalise the census form and to complete the practical aspects of organising the census in time.
