Tag: citizenship question on census

Commerce secretary suggested citizenship question to Justice Dept., according to memo, contradicting his congressional testimony

The following article by Tara Bahrampour was posted on the Wasington Post website June 22, 2018:

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News

In a new twist in the battle over adding a controversial citizenship question to the 2020 Census, Secretary Wilbur Ross filed an unexpected memo Thursday revealing that he was already considering adding the question when he began his job in February 2017, after hearing from other senior administration officials on the subject.

The statement contradicts his earlier testimony to Congress saying he explored adding the question in response to a December 2017 request by the Department of Justice. Continue reading “Commerce secretary suggested citizenship question to Justice Dept., according to memo, contradicting his congressional testimony”

Citizenship Question Would Convert Census Into a GOP Voter Suppression Tool

The following commentary by Eleanor Clift was posted on the Daily Beast website February 16, 2018:

The question seems intended to ensure that immigrants and minorities are further undercounted, hurting blue states and urban areas.

Credit: Getty Images

The Constitution requires that every person—not citizen—living in the United States must be counted every 10 years. Now, a Justice Department request to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census has put the once-in-a-decade count of the American people into the crosshairs of partisan politics.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose department includes the Census Bureau, has until April 1—the deadline to submit questions for the upcoming census—to decide whether to bow to the apparent political pressure. Continue reading “Citizenship Question Would Convert Census Into a GOP Voter Suppression Tool”

Citizenship question drives uncertainty over 2020 census

The following article by Lydia Wheeler was posted on the Hill website February 6, 2018:

© Getty Images

Uncertainly is swirling over whether the Census Bureau will be able to get an accurate population count for the 2020 census, as the agency considers a Department of Justice (DOJ) request to add a controversial question about citizenship status to the census questionnaire.

The stakes are enormously high.

Census data is used to redraw House districts, and the number of House seats each state receives also plays a part in determining each state’s number of electoral votes. Continue reading “Citizenship question drives uncertainty over 2020 census”