Don’t cheat this community out of its fair share. Participate in the U.S. Census | Opinion
The country’s once-a-decade population count, coming in 2020, is more than just a head count; the U.S. Census is a portrait of our nation that taps into the pulse of how our communities function.
To get the proper funding Miami-Dade County deserves, every resident must be counted. On April 1, I hosted a press conference to launch the countywide 2020 Census count. Whether it’s encouraging organizations to form their own task force or designating reputable leaders to help within their areas, educating the public is key to ensuring our county receives the necessary funding and fair representation it deserves. In every neighborhood and corner of our county, we all must become agents to raise public awareness about how Census participation affects the county’s future prosperity.
The U.S. Constitution requires the government to count everyone, including infants, children and adults, living in the United States every 10 years. The first U.S. Census count occurred in 1790. The Founding Fathers believed that gathering population data was so crucial to the country’s civic, social and economic well-being that they made it a permanent decennial event.
Census data is used in several ways to shape our future: apportionment and redistricting at the local, state, and federal levels of government; forecasting future transportation needs; and creating facilities for people with disabilities, the elderly, and children, for instance.
The Census count also helps allocate funds and grants to states, counties and municipalities. That means money to update schools, build new hospitals, repair broken roads, sustain law enforcement and maintain public utilities and services. Approximately $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to communities each year, allocated for programs to help lower-income families. According to the U.S. Census Bureau statistics from 2017, Florida receives $29.3 billion in federal funds annually to programs such as Head Start, highway planning and construction, Section 8 housing, Medicaid and Medicare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Pell grants for college and national school lunch programs.
The stakes for Miami-Dade, and our state, are high. A population undercount would have severe implications, especially for residents who depend on federal programs. The lack of participation of the Census could also skew data used to determine how many seats each state can get in the U.S. House of Representatives, representation in state legislatures and local bodies of government. Florida is expected to gain several seats after the 2020 Census is completed. Miami-Dade is the most populous county in Florida and one of the most diverse and vibrant counties in the country.
Unfortunately, the idea that government demands a head count, especially of a population that is so diverse, sparks real fear among Miami-Dade residents. Thankfully, under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, Census data is confidential, protected and only used for statistical purposes. By law, responses will not be used against participants by any government agency or court in any way.
The U.S. Census Bureau can’t share an individual’s response with immigration enforcement or law enforcement. It cannot be used to determine eligibility for government benefits.
Taking part in the decennial Census is your civic duty. It affects your family and our entire community’s future well-being. Everyone to step up and be counted. It is easy to do. You can fill out the 2020 Census online or by phone. Plus, the Census Bureau automatically will send the Census in paper form for people to complete.
Our county cannot afford an undercount — the stakes are too high. It is up to all of us to shape our future by ensuring that every person in Miami-Dade is counted. Feel free to contact my office at district13@miamidade.gov for answers to any questions about the upcoming U.S. Census.
Esteban L. Bovo Jr. represents District 13 on the Miami-Dade County Commission.
This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 5:18 PM.