Workers knocking on doors for count
Census to begin nonresponse action
Oakland County residents will soon hear a knock on their door if they haven’t yet responded to the 2020 Census.
The U.S. Census Bureau will begin nonresponse follow-up with households in select areas across the country on Thursday, Aug. 6, including Lansing and Oakland County in Michigan. The majority of census offices across the nation will join them the week after on Tuesday, August 11, according to the bureau.
Census workers will have less time this year to conduct the in-person interview phase of the decennial census, according to a Friday afternoon report from NPR. Nonresponse followup will end on Sept. 30, one month sooner than the Oct. 31 extended date set by the bureau this spring amidst the coronavius pandemic.
There’s also questions circulating in Washington about a potential fourmonth extension to deliver the count data as well as the legality of a presidential directive issued last week to exclude undocumented immigrants from being included in the count as Congress looks to re-appropriate the division of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The decennial census
count data is also used to allocate an estimated $800 billion in federal funds each year for programs like Medicaid health coverage for the poor, affordable housing grants, public education funding, school lunches, and road repairs.
Steven Dillingham, director of the U.S. Census Bureau, told the House Oversight and Reform Committee during an emergency
hearing Wednesday that there was no advance notice for the Trump administration’s memorandum, according to The Washington Post. Lawmakers were also unable to receive a clear answer on if the census data will be due on Dec. 31, its legal deadline, or in April per the requested deadline extension. Census experts and activists have argued that without an extension, the count could be rushed and potentially compromised due to the coronavirus shutting down operations for several months.
All census workers conducting nonresponse follow-ups can be identified with a valid government identification badge that includes a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and expiration date. Census workers will also be required to wear face masks and follow public health guidelines such as social distancing, as well as partake in virtual training for COVID-19 protocols.