The 2020 Census is less than a month away, and there are still many things to consider. Among them are properly completing a census form and how the final results will affect our community. WEMU's David Fair explores this in detail with Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development director Teresa Gillotti and Engage @ EMU student coordinator Denise Jimenez in this month's installment of "Census 2020."
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 continue to 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 edition, 89.1 WEMU's David Fair speaks to Teresa Gillotti, director of the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, and Denise Jimenez, student coordinator for Engage @ EMU. They discuss the process of completing the census form and how the census itself will affect our surrounding communities.
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
