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This year the Census Bureau decided to shorten collection time, by one month, during the pandemic. The pollsters and other statisticians were nervous that this year Collection could deliver Faulty results.
In California, a U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh ruled against the Bureau on Thursday, September 23, 2020. She believes a decrease in these days will cause inaccurate data.
Her decision came about two days after a hearing with attorneys for the Census Bureau, and attorneys for Civil Rights groups and local governments. They argued that hard-to-count areas would be undercounted if the Burea shortened its schedule.
The government attorneys wanted the Census to finish by the end of September so they will have the data to decide the number of Congressional seats each state gets, before their December 31st deadline.
Everyone living in the United States and the five U.S. territories — Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Nothern Mariana Island, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands — is mandated by the Consitution to fill out the questionnaire.
This is conducted by Census Bureau. They gather the data to establish the correct information needed to make the decisions needed.
The information collected provides data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and others use to provide daily services, products, and support for Everyone. The census is used to determine how many congressional seats each state gets and how $1.5 trillion in federal funding is distributed each year to hospitals, fire departments, schools, and roadway construction.
Koh stated that inaccuracies produced from a shortened schedule would affect the distribution of federal funding and political representation.
Written by Jessica Letcher
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
NBC News: Federal judge says 2020 census must continue for another month; Mike Schneider
The New York Times: Why an Accurate Census Is So Important; Giovanni Russonello
Census 2020: What Is the 2020 Census?
Featured Image Courtesy of Kansas Sebastian’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons
Inset Image Courtesy of K-State Research and Extension’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons
