The Commerce Department, which oversees the U.S. Census Bureau, has invited the public to comment on the questionnaire associated with the 2020 census. One specific item on the questionnaire is drawing particular public focus, and a national initiative is currently underway to remove it from the questionnaire entirely.

The question asks: "Is this person a citizen of the United States?"

The Census Bureau’s Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC) sent Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross an official recommendation urging him not to include the question, noting that the bureau normally tests a question thoroughly for many years before adding it to a survey. While the question has appeared on the census long form and the American Community Survey (ACS), both of which are sent to a representative number of people, the citizenship question has not appeared on the census survey given to everyone since 1950.

As CNN reports, supporters say this is a common sense question that simply makes sense to ask, while critics argue that the Justice Department has other ways to get citizenship data without interfering with the census, suggesting the change is a political decision.

The bureau is facing six lawsuits from more than two dozen states and cities who want the question removed because of fears that it will discourage noncitizens from participating and harm the accuracy of the census.

In a March 2018 memo, Ross said the Justice Department needs responses from the question to better enforce the Voting Rights Act's provisions against racial discrimination. In the memo he states, “The citizenship data provided to DOJ [Department of Justice] will be more accurate with the question than without it, which is of greater importance than any adverse effect that may result from people violating their legal duty to respond.”

Barbara Anderson, sociology professor, University of Michigan, and chair of CSAC, questioned how asking about citizenship on the ACS was an adequate substitute for testing it on the decennial census.

“I’m not actually certain at all how relevant that is because the ACS is a sample and the census is everybody. I think people are acutely aware of this difference and the greater potential of what you might call misuse or something else of data from the census than from the ACS,” she said.

As recommended by the Public Policy Committee, the CMF Board of Trustees voted in favor of CMF supporting efforts at federal, state and local levels to ensure an accurate, reliable and thorough census count, as required by the U.S. Constitution. We are therefore joining philanthropic leaders across the country in taking this opportunity to urge census leaders to remove the citizenship question from the questionnaire as it has not been appropriately tested (as has been the policy), and the potential negative impact on a fair and accurate census is too great to have it included.

For Michigan, federal funding appropriated based on census data comprises over 40 percent of the state’s budget. It is estimated that for every person not counted in Michigan, it will cost the state approximately $1,800 per person per year for 10 years in lost federal funding. With billions of dollars at risk, it is vital that every effort is made to overcome barriers to people completing the census.

A foundations-only letter urging the Commerce Department to remove the citizenship question is being circulated by the Funders Census Initiative under the leadership of the Bauman Foundation. (Scroll to the end of this page to access the letter.) Foundations interested in signing onto the letter are asked to complete a brief online form prior to July 30.

Individuals are also being encouraged to submit public comments via the Federal Register. A sample communication has been created for those interested in submitting an individual public comment. (Scroll to the end of this page to access the sample communication.) Comments are due prior to August 7 and can be submitted online.

For more information about the census, please visit the recently launched Be Counted Michigan 2020 website or CMF’s Census 2020 webpage.

Want more?

Read the March 2018 memo from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Read the July 2018 letter being circulated by the Funders Census Initiative. (Scroll to the end of this page to see the letter.)