Dear [Title and Names],

We write to express deep concern over the recent addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 decennial Census. The addition of an untested question at this late stage of Census planning, after the launch of the end-to-end test for 2020 operations, will exacerbate distrust of the census process in communities that are considered hard-to-count. To ensure that Washingtonians get the funding and representation they deserve, we ask that you take action to the 2020 Census and prevent the addition of the citizenship question.

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced this addition over the objections of a wide range of Census stakeholders. This bipartisan opposition included 161 Democratic and Republican mayors, six former Census directors who served in Democratic and Republican administrations, 19 attorneys general, and several dozen business leaders from across the country. During a March budget hearing, Secretary Ross himself suggested that asking about citizenship on the Census could negatively impact the overall response rate. 

The Department of Justice described a citizenship question as necessary for enforcing the Voting Rights Act.  This is inaccurate. No question on citizenship has appeared on the Census since 1950, yet the Justice Department and civil rights groups have successfully brought litigation under the VRA since its enactment in 1965. Information on citizenship is available through other surveys that the Census Bureau conducts, including the American Community Survey. Should the Department of Justice require that information, it is available without endangering the success of the 2020 Census.

The importance of an accurate Census count cannot be overstated. Washington receives nearly $14 billion for the 16 largest Census-guided, federally funded programs each year. These funds are used for programs that impact every Washingtonian, including health center programs, CHIP, foster care, special education grants, highway planning and construction, and Medicaid–to name a few. If people are undercounted on the Census, these critical programs will be underfunded for an entire decade. 

There is currently a climate of fear in many hard-to-count communities. Despite guarantees of confidentiality, respondents surveyed by the Census Bureau have reported an increased fear that their information would be shared with immigration officials.  The non-response rate on citizenship questions on the American Community Survey has been steadily rising as the immigration debate has become increasingly hostile. Bureau workers have also reported respondents abandoning meetings on other subjects–leaving Bureau employees alone in their homes–when the subject of immigration or citizenship is raised.  Adding this question plays into existing fears and jeopardizes the accuracy of the 2020 Census in every state and community by deterring many people–citizens and non-citizens–from responding. 

The Constitution requires a complete count of all persons in the country, both citizens and non-citizens alike. The success of the Census relies heavily upon its nonpartisan nature. The decision to add a citizenship question - especially now that issues of immigration and citizenship are the subject of intense partisan debate - makes it unlikely that the 2020 Census will be perceived as nonpartisan by the public. This makes a complete count unlikely, directly harming Washingtonians. 

We strongly urge you and all members of the Washington delegation to exercise legislative authority to reject this untested, late addition to the 2020 Census. 

Sincerely,