|
The April 1 Decennial Census kickoff next year is already attracting lots of cooperation and some apprehension among leaders of Hispanic organizations. As they pledge to work closely with the U.S. Census Bureau on outreach, they are expressing concern that the federal government could, among other worries, miss counting well over a million Hispanics, as it admitted to doing in 2000.
“The census is the foundation of our democracy and we cannot have fair representation as Latinos in Congress and state legislatures without a full census,” emphasizes Arturo Vargas, National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials executive director.
Raúl Cisneros, the Decennial’s media relations branch chief at the U.S. Department of Commerce, points out that starting with the 2012 election, “The count is used to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
If the three percent Hispanic undercount of the 2000 Census is repeated in 2010, 1.4 million Latinos will be missed, by the bureau’s own admission. That, advocates emphasize, is equivalent to two congressional districts.
Also affected are opportunities, with new political district lines drawn, for more Hispanics to be elected to several state legislatures.
More than $300 billion in federal funds is awarded annually based on census data to states and communities to support a variety of programs and public services.
Millions will be allocated for such programs in regions of high Hispanic growth when the new population figures are factored in. Between 2000 and 2010 the U.S. Hispanic population will have increased from 35.3 million to a projected 47.8 million, not counting more than 4 million in Puerto Rico.
Several Hispanic organizations have joined forces to help the Census Bureau by launching the campaign Ya es hora, ¡Hágase Contar! (It’s Time, Make Yourself Count!).
The project is led by NALEO, which promotes participation of Latinos in the U.S. political process.
In 2006, the Ya es Hora ¡Ciudadanía! (It’s Time - Citizenship!) drive was geared to encourage eligible permanent residents to become U.S. citizens.
In 2008, a second phase, Ya es Hora ¡Ve
...
|
rss
