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Citizenship Question Planned For 2020 Census Raises Concerns

Photo: US Census Bureau Report
Photo: US Census Bureau Report

Every ten years since 1790, the U.S. Census bureau attempts to count everyone in the United States and gather data that's crucial in determining everything from the share of federal funding to the number of representatives in congress.  The next Census is in 2020. The government plans to add a line of questioning that hasn't been on the census form since the 1960s. Are you a U.S. citizen. If you were naturalized, when?  The Department of Justice asked for the question to be included and the Commerce Department--which oversees the Census Bureau--signed off on it. They say the detailed information is needed to enforce the Voting Rights Act.  The list of planned questions has been submitted to Congress.  A House hearing is scheduled for May 8,  Supporters say the question makes good sense.  Critics say they are concerned the citizenship question will lead to an undercount.

Emily Campbell, Associate Director, The Center for Community Solutions  
Deirdre Mageean, Professor of Urban Studies, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, CSU  
Tom Sutton, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Baldwin Wallace University 
Mike Gonzalez, Senior Fellow, The Heritage Foundation, Davis Institute for International Studies 

For More Information:

U.S. Census Bureau web site