Gov. Brown launches committee to ensure fair Census count

(Update: Adding governor’s news release, poll)

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has formed an outreach committee to encourage response to the 2020 Census, ahead of a Supreme Court decision that could lead to undercounts of immigrant communities.

The governor announced on Monday that the newly formed Complete Count Committee will ensure a fair and accurate Census count. The U.S. Constitution mandates a complete count of the country’s population every 10 years. Census numbers determine how much money states get in federal funding. It’s also used to draw state legislative maps, which can have resounding effects on future elections.

Brown says next year’s Census count will be made more difficult because of a Trump administration push to ask how household members are U.S. citizens. Immigrant groups have argued that a citizenship question will discourage participation from households with non-citizens, leading to an undercount.

A study from Portland State University suggests that as many as one in nine Oregonians live with a non-citizen.

The Supreme Court is expected to make a decision this year on whether the administration can include a citizenship question–something that has not happened since 1950.

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News release from Gov. Kate Brown:

Governor Kate Brown Proclaims April 1 Census Day

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today proclaimed April 1, 2020 as Census Day to raise awareness about the upcoming decennial census. The Governor was joined by Representative Andrea Salinas, U.S. Census Bureau staff, Oregon Complete Count Committee members, and community advocates to kick off the state’s efforts in the coming year to ensure all Oregonians participate in the Census.

“From more federal dollars for our schools and hospitals, to ensuring our roads are safe and well-kept, the census has a profound and significant effect in the lives of all Oregonians,” said Governor Brown. “An accurate census not only allows us to have better representation in Congress, but it also tells the story of Oregon — who we are, and where we are going.”

“The first step in creating equitable policy is having accurate knowledge of the people in our state,” said Representative Salinas. “We need to know who we are, and what our fellow Oregonians need from their leaders. I want to ensure that all Oregonians participate in the Census count and feel safe in doing so.”

“The looming possibility of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census questionnaire only elevates the already heighten sense of fear, anxiety and mistrust of government that exists in our communities,” said Reyna Lopez, Executive Director of PCUN. “Roughly 1-in-9 Oregonians live with at least one non-citizen in their household. This means that nearly half a million people in our state are automatically at a much higher risk of being undercounted in the census.”

For more information, please go to the 2020 Census: Oregon Counts! website.