Forms for the 2010 U.S. Census will be mailed out in March, and there is a push being made for everyone to complete their forms, especially Latinos.
In a recent survey (link) released by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Latinos were shown to be less likely to participate in the Census than other groups.
Diana Rodriguez of the Sacramento Latino Complete Count Committee said, “Typically the Latino community is scared, especially if they’re undocumented. They’ll typically mark ‘other’ or they’ll mark themselves as a different race.”
More than 200 local leaders, from elected and faith-based representatives are joining forces for a community event on Wednesday evening in an effort to count all Latinos in Sacramento. The effort is called ‘It’s time to be counted, can we count on you?’
The group says that in the past, under-counts of Latinos have led to California and its economy losing billions of dollars. In Sacramento, an under-count could mean the loss of tens of millions of dollars for education, business, public safety, and health care services. Rodriguez says the loss is particularly profound when it comes to funding for programs aimed at English learners.
Contrary to what some may believe, the Census Bureau by law cannot share census answers with anyone, including the IRS, FBI, CIA or any other government agency. This is a message Rodriguez hopes everyone hears so they will participate in the Census regardless of their status.
Rodriguez said, “We need to do more. We need to get the word out there and we need to be more proactive instead of reactive to an after-count of the census.”
The U.S. Census form has ten questions and answers that help determine how more than $400 billion will be allocated to each community for things like hospitals, bridges, schools, and emergency services. It also helps determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Here is a link to the questions that will be on the Census.
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