89.1 WEMU has teamed with the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development to bring you a series of reports on the issues surrounding the upcoming census in 2020. In ensuing months, we'll cover issues on how the population count will impact us in Washtenaw County and Michigan. The series begins with an census overview with the director of the Washtenaw County OCED, Teresa Gillotti.
The United States census is so much more than just a head count. It is a snapshot of America that determines how congressional seats are apportioned, how state and federal dollars are distributed, where businesses choose to ship products and where they build new stores. To do all that properly, the count needs to be accurate. The count next year could lead to Michigan losing one of it's congressional seats in Washington. There are a number of ways the census is used to lead and govern in Washtenaw County, too.
Census Day is scheduled for April 1st of 2020. Between now and then, 89.1 WEMU will bring you a series of interviews looking at census issues including, privacy and confidentiality, how it impacts our representation and local funding, why college students and the homeless matter in the count, the hows and whys of taking the census, and what happens after the census is completed.
In this initial offering, you get an overview of the census, its process and how it will be used locally. To bring us this "Census 101" conversation, WEMU checked in with Teresa Gillotti, the director of the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development.
RESOURCES:
Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development
2020 Census Research, Operation Plans and Oversight
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— David Fair is the WEMU News Director and host of Morning Edition on WEMU. You can contact David at734.487.3363, on twitter @DavidFairWEMU, or email him at dfair@emich.edu
