Issue 168
September 23, 2020
“For every New Yorker that doesn’t fill it out, all that means is that other states receive our funding and our Congressional seats."
☛ NYC Census 2020 Director, Julie Menin

You won't believe what the Hamptonites are up to now ?

2020 is fucking relentless. We barely have a moment to mourn the loss of the Honorable RBG, when the GOP is back at their dirty tricks trying to erase history and push through a replacement just 40 days out from the election. But what we know for sure is that RBG would never want us to lose focus. In the spirit of the fight she instilled in us, this week we are turning back to the 2020 Census. Because we can't let Trump succeed in his attempt to undercut our communities. In the weeks to come we’ll be talking about the courts and what’s at stake for broads, but today we’re diving into the state of the Census and what must be done before the end of the month to ensure NYC gets the money it deserves for the years to come.
Because the Trump Administration is trash and has pulled every trick to undercount and underfund our communities—esp. immigrant New Yorkers—the 2020 Census count will wrap a full month ahead of schedule on Sept 30. Not only is the City facing the challenge of getting NYers quickly counted during a pandemic, there’s a new hurdle: the Hamptons. Manhattanites who’ve fled the city and apparently don’t have a strong enough internet connection at their vacation homes to fill out the census are dragging down our average. The city has made major strides closing the gap between the national response rate and NYC’s—we're just 6 points behind the national average. But we’d nearly close that gap if it weren’t for some notable slackers in Manhattan, which has 14 of the 20 neighborhoods with the largest disparities in response rates compared to the 2010 census.
We need to secure the bag—and the Hampton hideouts are about to cost us $3 billion in federal funding. The Census determines the allocation of $1.5 trillion annually to more than 300 programs. For NYC, this means billions of dollars for hospitals, SNAP, Head Start, Medicaid, school lunch & more. Not to mention that the Census determines our political representation through a process called “apportionment.” (Read our April memo to learn what that means.) Last but not least, we cannot and will not let the Trump administration succeed in their attempts to politically manipulate this important process and underfund our communities.
There’s billions at stake and only one week left to get NYC counted. Here’s how you can help:

—Hop on the dialer with NYC Census and check in on your fellow New Yorkers in the neighborhoods with the lowest response rates.

—Volunteer with your Neighborhood Organizing Census Committee. You can join volunteers from neighborhoods across the city working together to organize & mobilize locally through community outreach, canvassing, phone banking, and texting.

—Spread the word by forwarding this memo to 5 friends, especially any who’ve temporarily relocated. Make sure they know they can fill out the census quick & easy.


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