Make census count: Much depends on it

With the dawn of a new decade, it’s time for that annual head count known as the U.S. Census.

Last week state officials kicked off a campaign to raise awareness of the census and encourage residents to respond. Gisele Fetterman, wife of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, will help lead the campaign and is planning to tour the state over the next three months, including stops in Philadelphia, Lancaster, Erie and several other Pa. locales, urging public awareness of the census.

Why is this so important? Again, this has to do with elections.

Every 10 years the nation endeavors to count every person living in the United States and its five territories. The project is formally known as the Population and Housing Census.

Those numbers are then used to determine representation in Congress, specifically the House of Representatives. The constitution states each state must have at least one representative. Just how many representatives each state has is dependent on the census numbers. Since 1912, the number has been 435, except for the years 1960 to 1962, when a representative was added for both Alaska and Hawaii. After the 1960 census numbers were tabulated, the number reverted to 435. It has been there ever since.

Pennsylvania currently sends 18 members to the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.

But that number is adjusted after each census, with those states with the most population getting the most representation. Pennsylvania is widely expected to lose one seat in the House as a result of the 2020 Census.

In addition, you might recall the firestorm that erupted over the shape of those congressional elections in the 2018 election. Opponents of the way the districts were drawn up in 2011 went to court, claiming they were “gerrymandered” by Republicans to tilt toward GOP candidates. After a protracted legal battle, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed, ruling the old map violated the state constitution. Eventually the court redrew the districts and issued a new map, creating the new 5th District in Delaware County, as well as new borders for the 6th in Berks and Chester

Counties and several in Montgomery County. Democrats swept all those seats.

But the court’s ruling is only a short-term fix. The districts will be redrawn again, as they are every 10 years. Guess what numbers and data they will use to redraw the lines? That’s correct, the numbers gained from the U.S. Census.

But the census does not affect just politics. Currently three million Pennsylvania residents rely on programs such as LIHEAP, for heating aid, as well as SNAP, CHIP and Medicaid for health care. The Department of Human Services uses census data to parse that funding.

Among those most at risk are those least likely to be accounted for — children and those who live in rural areas of the state. Pennsylvania has a rural population of 3.4 million, yet officials indicate only 75 percent have been accurately counted in the last two censuses.

Gov. Tom Wolf and Gisele Fetterman are aiming to change that.

Fetterman, who arrived in this country as an undocumented immigrant, said she “never understood the big picture because I never felt a part of that big picture. I understand how the individuals at the greatest risk of not being counted are the same ones who would be disproportionately affected by an inaccurate count.”

County officials are beating her to the punch.

Efforts are already underway to push the importance of an accurate count — and thus citizen participation — at the county level. Events have been held in Delaware, Montgomery and Berks counties to push the importance of taking part in the census. Montgomery County has set up the Montgomery County Complete Count Committee. Berks County has instituted a similar committee, saying as much as $350 million in federal aid hangs in the balance.

Gov. Tom Wolf said the state receives $26.8 billion annually for federally funded programs, based on the census numbers. That adds up to about $2,000 per state resident per year.

The lesson is simple. The census affects your vote and your pocketbook. Make sure you are counted. Spread the word to your neighbors and friends.