Wisconsinites have experienced years of redistricting, maps analyzed in private meetings, and fingers pointed over gerrymandering. All of this leaves a bad taste over how some Wisconsinites are represented in our government. While the federal courts have delayed the trial date in Wisconsin’s partisan redistricting, one thing we can control today is making sure as many people as possible are counted.
A successful count in the 2020 Census is critical to ensure that every kid, every family, and every community is properly represented in Congress. The apportionment of Congressional seats for each state is based on the total population count in the Census. Wisconsin must have the right number of representatives to create policy that impacts us all. The first step of the process is in our hands. We must complete the 2020 Census, every single one of us.
What is apportionment?
Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states based on the total population counts from the Census. (Source: 2020Census.gov)
Who is included in the apportionment population counts?
The apportionment population count for each of the 50 states include the state’s total resident population (including citizens AND non-citizens) plus a count of the overseas federal employees (and dependents) who have that state listed as their home state in their employers’ administrative records. (Source: 2020Census.gov)
What’s at stake?
We cannot ignore that the coronavirus pandemic may impact the outcome of the 2020 Census. On a daily basis we are discussing the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on people of color. The loss of income, potential loss of housing, education, lack of access to health insurance and health care, and more is highlighting a system created by policies that do not work for everyone. People of color and those furthest from opportunity are in danger of losing representation in Congress as well as their appropriate share of more than $400 billion a year in federal funds for health care, education, job training, and community development. These federal funds are divided between all 50 states, Washington, DC, and U.S. Territories, based on the total count of people living in each of those areas. This funding supports important programs for our families, including:
- Childcare programs (Wisconsin Shares, Youngstar and Headstart) – these are programs that provide kids with early learning while they are at a crucial stage of brain development while also supporting working parents.
- Food assistance programs (Free and reduced-price school meals and, FoodShare also known as SNAP) – these programs help families access nutritious food
- Health Insurance programs funded through Medicaid, such as BadgerCare
- Special education grants
- Temporary assistance to families in need
- Keeping children safe in foster care
Small undercounts could lead to massive losses in federal funding.
If we don’t count everyone in Wisconsin we risk losing out on our fair share of vital federal funding that helps families meet basic needs and supports our state’s economy. Even failing to count small numbers of people could lead to large losses in federal dollars. For example, if the 2010 Census had missed just one percent more people, Wisconsin would have lost $76 million in Medicaid funds (at 2015 funding levels). The bottom line is that when everyone isn’t counted, we all lose out.
In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted 2020 Census operations. While the Census was originally scheduled the be completed on July 31, that date has been pushed back to October 31. The benefit to Wisconsin is that we have more time to be sure that everyone is counted. Here is what you can do to ensure Wisconsin has the correct apportionment of Congressional seats and receives the correct amount of federal funding to support our communities.
- Complete the Census
- Online at www.2020census.gov
- By phone at 844.330.2020 (English) or 844.468.2020 (Spanish)
- By snail mail to the US Census Bureau
- Encourage your friends, family, neighbors, faith communities, and others to complete the Census
- Assist someone in completing the Census
- If you haven’t completed the Census, please don’t turn away Census workers who may come to your door
Everyone deserves the benefits that the census brings to our communities, especially the benefit of representation, which means that all working people in the United States must be counted in the census – including undocumented workers and migrant workers. With you, we can be certain Wisconsin is counted, every kid, every family, and every community.
