Speaking at the launch of the “Be Counted” drive to mazimize participation in the 2020 Census is Rep. Tyrone Carter of Detroit. Shown, left to right, are Donna Murray-Brown, CEO/President of Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA); Hassan Jaber, President/CEO of Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) and chair of the MNA committee; Rep. Julie Calley of Portland; Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist; and Michigan Statewide Census Director Kerry Ebersole Singh.
LEGAL NEWS PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA PRICE
by Cynthia Price
Legal News
Though no one said it directly at the “Be Counted” launch, perhaps the best way to express the urgency of strong participation in the census is to paraphrase Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich’s pronouncement about Flint: “Everyone in Michigan wins if everyone in Michigan is counted.”
The effects of the numbers and demographics developed as a result of the every-ten-year census of residents is far-reaching; everything from how many Congressional representatives the state has to how (and if) federal monies are distributed depends on them.
As Rep. Julie Calley from Portland, whose husband was the former lieutenant governor, said at the launch, “In Michigan, 42% of the state’s budget relies on federal funding that is distributed to Michigan communities annually based on census data.”
The state estimates approximately $3,000 per person annually in federal support could be forfeited over the next ten years without an accurate count.
The Be Counted campaign, a partnership between the Michigan Nonprofit Association, the state, and the U.S. Census Bureau, is an unprecedented effort, funded by the state to the tune of $16 million, and additionally by a variety of foundations which are members of the Council on Michigan Foundations. The City of Detroit, according to Rep. Tyrone Carter, who spoke at the launch in Lansing, is also intending to raise $3 million to promote census engagement.
Carter noted that he went to an event recently where someone said to him, “I don’t trust certain people.” That is not hard to understand, when, for example, the current administration was only stopped from putting a question about citizenship on the form by a court order.
Kerry Ebersole Singh, the Michigan Statewide Census Director, said that Michigan was fifth in the nation with 78% participation in the last census, but partners want to increase that.
Assistant Secretary of State Heaster Wheeler said that, statewide, more than 1.8 million people are estimated to be “hard to count.” The campaign will focus on those people.
Historically, those experiencing poverty and/or with little Internet access, people of color, children, non-citizens and those in rural areas have been undercounted. The campaign will focus on ten previously undercounted counties, including Washtenaw, Wayne, Kent, and Ottawa.
There will be TV and radio ads, town halls including one in Grand Rapids (to be scheduled), and Q&A centers at libraries and Health and Human Services offices. Singh said she has “always wanted a jingle” and the radio ad has one.
On March 4 at the state capitol building, Governor Gretchen Whitmer was slated to unveil another aspect of the “Be Counted” campaign.
CATA, the award-winning Capital Area Transportation Authority, will feature two wrapped 40-foot buses. CATA is also making its awareness materials available to transit agencies statewide, encouraging residents across the state to Be Counted.
For more information and resources, visit Michigan.gov/census2020.
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