Census 2020
The Census and Redistricting Committee Chair, Joan Ridley, provided this update on November 6, 2020:
Census taking was completed, prematurely, on October 15, 2020 by order of President Trump. It was originally due to end on October 31st. Ending prematurely resulted in Census takers making assumptions that might not be accurate.
The Census Report with apportionment counts is due to be delivered to President Trump by December 31, 2020, per the US Constitution. The Census Bureau had requested an extension of the due date to April 30, 2020, due to the extra time needed to prepare the Report due to COVID-19. That would have created a narrow window for Texas Legislators to draw the voting district maps before the end of the 87th session.
There has been extensive litigation regarding the 2020 census. A case will be heard at the US Supreme Court on November 30, 2020. President Trump has ordered that all persons in the US illegally not be counted. The case, if heard, will decide whether or not persons in the US illegally will be included in the US Census. According to the US Constitution, all persons living in the US are to be counted.
Although the response rate to the 2020 US Census is 99% nationally, the self- response rate in Dallas County is 63.9%, the lowest of the four most populous counties in North Texas. Self-response rates reflect households that responded to the census online, by mail or by phone. These response rates do not include households that were visited in person by census workers and are not the official census counts. Dallas had a lower self-response rate to the 2020 Census than the previous 2010 census. An undercount of the population has at least two important implications: 1) Texas might not receive an additional number of seats in the US House of Representatives. Based on estimates if the entire population were counted, Texas could receive an increase from 36 of 39 seats; and 2) Texas would not receive benefits that are based on the total population.
Historically, the Census Report has been released to the public at the same time that it has been released to the President. However, according to a spokesperson for the Bureau, it is likely that the 2020 Census Report will be released to the media prior to being sent to President Trump.
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Every ten years, a count of all people living in the USA takes place to determine the distribution of funds to cities, schools, and hospitals as well as defining districts for U.S., Texas, and local government representation. If you haven't already completed the short census for your household, please click here for official US census site.
The census is required by the U.S. Constitution.
Earlier News on Timing of Completion of the Census:
September 24, 2020: A federal judge has ordered that the 2020 Census continue until Oct. 31, blocking for now the government’s efforts to complete the survey in time to deliver apportionment data to the president by the end of the year. The ruling was issued late Thursday night by US District Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California.
October 9, 2020: The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put on hold U.S. District Judge Koh’s order to continue census taking until October 31st. Wilbur Ross, United States Secretary of Commerce, has indicated there is no need to continue to take the census because there has been a 99% response rate nationwide. However, the response in several states has been far below 99% so the overall results will be inaccurate.
You can read the City of Dallas Memorandum from October 9th on the Extension of the Census.
To learn more about the census and its impact, please click the links below:
The official government website of the United States Census 2020
About the Census from LWV-US
About the Census from LWV-Texas
Dallas County's 2020 Census
Dallas County Counts 2020 in partnership with the City of Dallas