Arizonans are urged to fill out census
Undercount could hurt the state, officials warn
Arizona has just 13 days to boost its lackluster census response rate of 89%, which could affect everything from money to pay for infrastructure to representation in Congress.
And Gov. Doug Ducey seems to have no plans to add his voice to the chorus of leaders pressing to push the deadline out until at least Oct. 31.
Instead, he and U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham assembled a group of local, state and federal officials on Thursday morning to urge Arizona households — in both English and Spanish — to submit their questionnaires online, by phone or by mail by the end of the month.
“(The census) is instrumental to the proper functioning of our republican government and has been so for 230plus years,” Ducey said at the news conference, calling its completion “the civic responsibility of every household in the country.”
“With 13 days left to go, we have one clear message for all Arizonans: If you haven’t yet completed your census, do so now,” he said. “You matter, and you deserve to be counted.”
Pandemic, federal decisions complicate outreach
The 89% Arizona response rate cited by officials on Thursday includes both “self-responses,” meaning questionnaires independently submitted by households, and “enumerator-collected responses,” meaning answers gathered by census workers.
As of Tuesday, about 63% of Arizona households had responded independently, according to the Census Bureau, lower than the national self-response rate of 66%. The overall national response rate is 93%.
Self-response rates historically are lower among rural communities and communities of color and rural communities, and this year’s COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated efforts to accurately count those groups.
La Paz and Apache counties, for instance, had self-response rates under 30% this week, and predominantly Black and Latino south Phoenix neighborhoods had lower response rates than the city at large.
The Trump administration also threw a wrench into outreach efforts when it pushed for a controversial question on citizenship status, and when it announced last month it would accelerate data collecting and shorten the filing deadline to Sept. 30.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has proposed a bill that would require the Census Bureau to continue counting through at least Oct. 31 and extend by four months the legal reporting deadlines for results, but the future of that legislation remains unclear.
Ducey on Thursday acknowledged that “there have been real challenges” for census workers attempting to get an accurate count this year, noting that 450 federal employees had “parachuted into Arizona over the last several days … to help us complete the effort.”
But he did not indicate he intended to advocate for an extension. “We have to play within the rules the federal government sets,” he said. “We’re confident we can have success in doing that.”
Arizona has a lot to lose
The consequences of an Arizona undercount could be dramatic and lasting.
Because the federal government uses
census responses to distribute more than $675 billion each year to states and cities, an incomplete count could cost the state cash for programs such as Medicare, Title 1 school funding, highway construction and lower-income housing subsidies.
Even a 1% undercount would mean a loss of at least $620 million over the next 10 years, according to the Governor’s Office, which could further devastate communities reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Federal officials also use census data to determine the number of House seats apportioned to each state, as well as corresponding electoral votes in presidential elections.
Arizona has gained at least one House seat in Congress following each census since 1960, because the state has gained population relative to other states. If Arizona’s census numbers don’t reflect its fast-growing population, it could lose out on an additional seat in Congress.
Debbie Johnson, chair of the Arizona Complete Count Committee, said the group’s “final push” for responses includes a text message campaign targeting historically hard-to-count communities.
The committee already partnered with cities and communities to distribute census materials in English and Spanish, Johnson said. It also put out public service announcements, organized a hospital initiative with newborns, attached census information to vehicle registration renewals and oversaw a campaign focused on foster parents.
“The 2020 census matters,” she said. “Every individual counted will help shape the future of our state.”
How to participate
Those who haven’t filled out the census may visit my2020census.gov and enter the 12-digit code mailed to them by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau also sent paper forms to Arizonans who haven’t responded. Those can be filled out and returned by mail.
Those without a code or access to internet may call 844-330-2020 and answer by phone.