Resources

Common Cause v. Trump challenges President Trump’s Executive Order to exclude undocumented people from being counted in congressional district apportionment.

There are laws guiding census and field outreach that stakeholders will need to keep in mind when planning their outreach. Census stakeholders have compiled many resources to help educate communities on legal safeguards that are in place to protect the confidentiality of responses. This section will help stakeholders quickly identify topline messages and frequently asked questions about census data confidentiality and guidelines for Get Out the Count activity.

Every person counted in the 2020 Census means more resources for your state. However, the census historically undercounts low-income communities, immigrants, and communities of color. Undercounts not only place additional burdens on already cash-strapped nonprofits, they leave the hard to count communities without accurate political representation and under resourced by those programs that are funded based on formulas. Nonprofits can play many roles to help ensure an accurate count, including seeking to change rules to encourage the hiring of low-income individuals to work within their community.

Evidence obtained by Common Cause confirms how political operatives spent years plotting to rig our democracy with a Census citizenship question. GOP’s chief gerrymandering mastermind Thomas Hofeller laid out a plan to add the citizenship question to the Census. The purpose? Manipulating our Census and redistricting process to be, in Hofeller’s words, “advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites."

The policy brief was co-authored by Common Cause, State Innovation Exchange (SiX), and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Here you will find a selection of policy solutions, messaging guidance, and additional resources to support census preparation in your state. This brief is meant to serve as a starting point for thinking about census legislation and communication and is not meant to supersede direct discussions with local experts and advocates.