Census 2020: Every U.S. Resident Must Make Their Voice Heard  

Statement of Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn 

It is time for every resident of the United States to make their voice heard in the 2020 Census. It is time to stand up and be counted, for your own benefit and for the benefit of your community. Today, every person residing in the United States is encouraged to take 10 minutes to fill out their census form and shape the future of communities for the next 10 years.  

The 2020 census will impact each of us– our friends, family and neighbors for the next decade and beyond. The census is about using our voices to build our lives; to shape our future, and to take our power from partisan politicians who want to rig the rules against us. Who gets counted in the 2020 Census is crucial to ensuring that communities get the representation and resources they deserve. 

The Census will shape our nation’s government, public policy, and budgets for the next decade. The data gathered by the Census Bureau will determine everything from congressional district maps to local resource allocation — like school funding, the number of firehouses in our neighborhoods, and highway and road repair budgets. 

Communities across the country are at risk of losing representation and their fair share of resources if they go uncounted.  

Some partisan politicians have gone to extreme lengths to eliminate the political power of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American communities by sowing fear, discord, and confusion around the 2020 Census, but communities are standing up to make their voices heard and be counted. 

In our democracy, we believe everyone should have a voice. The Constitution mandates a census every decade to empower all Americans, but it is not only the basis of representation and federal funding, it is the foundation for understanding who we are as a nation.