The Trump administration announced they will be reinstating a citizenship question on the 2020 census to “help enforce” the Voting Rights Act of 1965—and California is already pushing back.
The Commerce Department announced the decision Monday night.
“The citizenship question will be the same as the one that is asked on the yearly American Community Survey (ACS). Citizenship questions have also been included on prior decennial censuses. Between 1820 and 1950, almost every decennial census asked a question on citizenship in some form. Today, surveys of sample populations, such as the Current Population Survey and the ACS, continue to ask a question on citizenship,” reads a statement on the decision.
According to the Commerce Department, the request to include a citizenship question came from the Department of Justice in order to “provide census block level citizenship voting age population (CVAP) data that is not currently available from government surveys.” This data, the administration argues, will be used to protect minority voting rights.
#BREAKING: Filing suit against @realdonaldtrump‘s Administration over decision to add #citizenship question on #2020Census. Including the question is not just a bad idea — it is illegal: https://t.co/vW8sa7khq9
— Xavier Becerra (@AGBecerra) March 27, 2018
The census’s new citizenship question is another shameful Trump assault on our democracy. It will undoubtedly drive down census participation, and cost our communities federal funds and seats in Congress. Trump is worried about losing power so he’s trying to take ours away. https://t.co/4AfLjtShAH
— Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (@RepRoybalAllard) March 27, 2018
