Our mission is to push for a democracy that is fair and representative--which is why we are urging the removal of the citizenship question from the 2020 Census form. The inclusion of such a question will jeopardize the accuracy of the census nationwide, which will have long-ranging impacts for the following 10 years.

A census is conducted to collect objective data about our nation’s communities. It is not intended to be a political tool, but rather a fair and effective way to understand the size and makeup of our population. Getting the census count right is critical to making sure our government works for everyone, as it shapes our nation’s democracy, public policy, and economy for an entire decade.

The addition of a citizenship question is a political and harmful move that puts the integrity and the precision of the census at risk. A question of this nature has not been included on the census form for several decades, and community members have already expressed their fear and reluctance to reveal the citizenship status of people in their household. This could directly contribute to a low response rate in hard-to-count areas and loss of valuable representation for these communities.

Everyone wants their voice to be heard and to know that their vote counts in selecting the people and policies that will determine the future of their families and communities. That’s why we must push against the inclusion of a citizenship question and ask for a fair and accurate census in 2020.