The census is required by Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution and plays a central role in our representative form of government. Under the Constitution, the population count is used to determine how many seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and how many electoral votes each of the 50 states will have for the following decade.
We only have one chance to get the 2020 Census right, and everyone in the United States will live with the consequences for a decade.
In addition to providing the basis for fair voting representation, census data:
Play a key role in the implementation and enforcement of the nation’s civil rights laws; Influence the allocation of more than $600 billion in federal government resources to states, localities, and families every year;
Help state and local officials, community leaders, and nonprofit organizations identify current and future needs for health care, education, housing, food and income security, rural access to broadband, and other services;
and Guide private-sector investment decisions on where to invest in job creation, new facilities, and marketing.
The League is working in coalition with New York Counts 2020 on conducting outreach and advocacy around the census. New York Counts 2020 is allowing all their coalition partners to use their materials to help with get out the count efforts.
