Census caravan rolls through south suburbs
Officials make final push for participation in 2020 ballot count
If you have put off completing the 2020 Census, you’re down to your final week to get it done.
Census takers are following up in person through Sept. 30 to complete theirwork of counting every person living in the United States.
“They cut us short. Itwas supposed to be until Oct. 31,” said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, DMatteson.
Initially the census count was scheduled to conclude in July, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the rollout of going door-to-door to count those who did not self-respond online or by mail. The deadline was extended to the end of October, then shortened to the end of September.
Kelly and other elected officials led a caravan through the south suburbs on Monday to encourage people to participate in the census. The caravan featured about a dozen vehicles, including a truck that displayed electronic video messages.
Population counts determine howmuch allocated to federal communities funding for is projects and programs, Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark said. “I constantly hear people talk about howt hey want new lights or streets or curbs and sidewalks, how they want more investment in their city,” Clark said. The caravan stopped outside the Harvey Municipal Center “At the same time we need for each and every one of you to complete the census sowe can get the money,” he said. The response rate in Illinois
was 70.6% on Tuesday, compared to a national self-response rate of 66.1%. Response rates generally were lower in communities with a lot of Black and Hispanic residents. The response rate throughout Kelly’ s 2nd Congressional District was 63.7%. The response rate in some parts of Chicago was as low as 30%.
“We still have some communities that are underrepresented,” said Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, D-Lynwood.
Monday’s caravan departed from Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood and rolled through the Roseland neighborhood and suburban Riverdale andDolton before stopping outside the HarveyMunicipal Center.
FromHarvey, the caravan took its message through Phoenix, Homewood, Glenwood, ChicagoHeights, Olympia Fields and Flossmoor before stopping at theHazel Crest Municipal Center.
“We need towork together in the Southland to make sure every person is counted,” Miller said. “That helps each different municipality in the Southland. We are all interconnected. Sometimes you drive down the street you don’t knowyou’ve left one town and gone into another town.”
Officials fear that people who immigrated to theUnited States and who are notU.S. citizens are reluctant to participate, even though theU.S. Census Bureau does not share personal information with any other government agency.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re documented or undocumented, we just need to knowhowmany people are in that household,” said Dolton Mayor Riley Rogers.
Illinois elected officials, including Sen. DickDurbin, have said the state risks forfeiting $1,400 per person per year for the next 10 years for every person who goes uncounted.
“Ifwe did not complete the
census, Harvey stands to lose $350 million over a 10-year period,” Clark said. “It’s money we deserve as a community.”
The census counts every 10 years also decide how population shifts may change the number of congressional representatives in each state.
Illinois had as many as 27 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1913 to 1943. Since the end of World War II, Illinois has lost a third of its seats as the nation’s population has moved south andwest. The Land of Lincoln has had 18 seats in the House since 2013.
“We already think we’re going to lose one congressional seat,” Kelly said. “If we don’t fill out the census we’ll lose two congressional seats. That’s one less voice on energy and commerce, on transportation, on ways and means, on appropriations— really powerful committees that Illinois representatives sit on now.”
Chicago Heights, East Hazel Crest, Robbins, Phoenix, Riverdale, Dixmoor, Ford Heights and Harvey had the lowest census response rates among communities in the south suburbs, an analysis in April found.
At the time, the highest response rates in the south and southwest suburbs were in New Lenox, Frankfort, Palos Heights, Flossmoor, Homer Glen, Mokena and Tinley Park.
The basic census questionnaire asks a few questions about the number of people living in a household.
“It takes less than five minutes to complete,” Rogers said.
South suburban offi-
cials urged residents to encourage others to participate. Time has run out for procrastinators.
“We all need to ask our neighbors and friends if they have filled out their census forms,” Miller said.