Secretary of State Alex Padilla called on Californians to speak out against the inclusion of a citizenship questions on the 2020 U.S. Census.
“For decades, census directors under both Democratic and Republican administrations abided by department policy and did not include a citizenship question,” Padilla said at a press conference in Sacramento. “The Trump Administration’s decision to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census completely disregards science and proven methodology.”
Padilla and others in California government are concerned that inclusion of the question will discourage undocumented immigrants from being counted. That would result in a smaller official population, with a potential loss in House seats and federal grants.
“The Trump Administration has clearly chosen to question the citizenship of every person in America in an effort to discourage diverse communities from participating,” Padilla said. “A census undercount would cost California its rightful share of billions of dollars in federal funding as well as our due representation in Congress.”
The census, required every decade by the Constitution, tries to count every resident of the United States — even slaves prior to the Civil War.
Padilla unveiled a website with information about the census and a link for Californians to submit public comments by Aug. 7.
