Census 2010

Fact Sheets

The Nonprofit Voter Engagement Network (NVEN) has just released the following fact sheets:

Census 101: The Basics This brief fact sheet answers some basic questions about the 2010 Census. Clink on the link below to download the fact sheet. DOWNLOAD: Census 101	Seven Things Any Nonprofit Needs to Know about Census 2010 Here are seven things that every nonprofit needs to know about the 2010 Census. Clink on the link below to download the fact sheet. DONWLOAD:  7 Things Any Nonprofit Needs to Know about Census 2010
Census by the Numbers This fact sheet steps through the Census "by the numbers." Fun and informative. Clink on the link below to download the fact sheet. DOWNLOAD: The 2010 Census by the Numbers	Why Nonprofits: Key to a Complete Count Why are nonprofits so important to ensuring a complete and accurate count in the 2010 Census? And why are nonprofits so well suited to this task? Clink on the link below to download the fact sheet. DOWNLOAD:  Why Nonprofits

Why is the Census so important to the nonprofit community?

Lower income and more mobile populations, precisely those served by many nonprofits, are frequently undercounted by the census, leading to underfunding of critical services and infrastructure and under-representation in government. Nonprofits can play an important role in making sure their communities are fully and accurately counted by educating them on the importance of the census and how to participate.

How is Census data used?

• Decisions about what community services to provide, and how to distribute over $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year for the next 10 years! Examples include spending on:
  • Title 1 grants to educational agencies (school districts across the nation)
  • Head Start programs
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (food grants)
  • Public transportation
  • Road rehabilitation and construction
  • Programs for the elderly
  • Emergency food and shelter
  • Empowerment zone
• The drawing of Congressional, State House and State Senate district lines
• Distribution of Congressional seats to states

What can nonprofit organizations do?

• Partner with the Census
  It’s simple: sign up with your Local Census Office and receive the most up-to-date information on how to engage your community in the 2010 Census on www.NonprofitsCount.org

• Add to Your Communications
  Where: Website, E-Updates, Newsletters
  What: Key deadlines, websites to go to, Drop In articles
  When: Basic info now; more urgency in late fall and 2010

• Have Information in Your Office
  Sample Census forms
  Signage promoting Census participation
  Contact information for local Census offices
  Information on job opportunities

• Distribute Promotional Materials
  Promotional items are synonymous with the decennial census. Request these items from your Local Census Office (LCO) and begin distributing them to your communities. Items available include: chip clips, bags, stickers, balloons, pens, pencils, window decals, etc.

• Host Community Events
  Hosting community events and forums can be a great tool for educating people about the 2010 Census. MassVOTE, your Census Bureau Partnership Specialist and the Local Census Office can be great partners in these.

• Be a Questionnaire Assistance Center (or “Be Counted Center”)
  30,000 Questionnaire Assistance Centers: One of your staff members can be paid by the Census to assist people in filling out and returning their form at your community-based nonprofit.
  40,000 “Be Counted” Sites: “Be Counted” forms are census questionnaires available at community locations, for people who did not receive a census form in the mail or who believe they were not otherwise included on any other census questionnaire. “Be counted” forms will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian. The form should be picked up and mailed back in the attached postage-paid envelope.

• Promote Jobs
  Census jobs are good jobs! The 2010 census will be the largest peace-time mobilization of temporary jobs in our country’s history. The Census wants and needs to hire people from hard-to-count communities. You can help your communities find out about jobs with the Census.

• Join or Form a Complete Count Committee (CCC)
  A Complete Count Committee is a team of community members working together to ensure that all those in their community (however they define “community”) are counted in the 2010 Census. Join MassVOTE’s Nonprofit Sector Complete Count Committee …or form your own.

Sample Questionnaire

Have you had a look at the 2010 Census Questionnaire yet?  It's one of the shortest Census Questionnaires in Census history, with only ten questions.  The sample form is currently available in English and in a bilingual English/Spanish version.  The actual questionnaire that will be mailed to households in March 2010 will be available in a wide variety of languages.

Click here for the English version and click here for the bilingual English/Spanish version.

Civic Engagement and Redistricting

In early 2011, Census data will be delivered to Beacon Hill and city and town halls across our state. The task of drawing new district lines for US Congress, State Senate, State House, City Council, and local offices will begin.

Our state will likely lose a seat in Congress. Only an active campaign to ensure Census participation can prevent this. At least 200,000 additional previously uncounted people must be persuaded to participate.

In some states, nonpartisan commissions draw lines. They work to keep towns together and maximize opportunities for people to have a voice in their government.

Sadly, Massachusetts is the birthplace of gerrymandering, a process where legislators choose their voters, reducing competition and diluting accountability. After botching the 2001 redistricting process, the state was forced to redraw its district lines after a federal court ruled the state had violated the rights of African Americans in Mattapan.

Engagement is the key. First, we must ensure maximum participation in the Census. Then, we must make certain that members of the public learn about redistricting and engage.

Across Massachusetts, in cities like Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and Lowell, better districts can give Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and low-income neighbors a voice in government.

In the last redistricting process, MassVOTE, a nonpartisan 501c3 civic education and civil rights organization, brought together the NAACP, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, the Chelsea Collaborative and many others to educate the public about redistricting. Our 2011 redistricting task force has already begun to meet.

Funders concerned about civic engagement and civil rights can support research, education, and advocacy to ensure fair redistricting.