It is illegal to skip the census but is it illegal to skip a question?

[BigmanPigman]

If I chose to leave the citizenship question blank on the census what would happen? It is civil disobedience.

[RainCaster]

1. What if we all said we are illegal aliens?

What would happen?

[bigtree]

2. I guess they'd come and take you to Roswell

[ProudLib72]

4. Not necessarily

Aliens could be found in abundance all over NM back in the day. I've been to Alien Run trail outside of Farmington several times: https://www.trailforks.com/trails/alien-run/ ... and I only ever saw a tarantula.

[BigmanPigman]

6. They would ask you what you considered

and illegal alien to be as opposed to an undocumented immigrant then haul you off to the pokey I expect since you didn't answer the question (see post #5).

[Blue_playwright]

3. I skipped some questions on the last one

That made me feel very uncomfortable- at the moment I can’t tell you what they were but I remember thinking that they made me uncomfortable about my safety for some reason. I had a newborn though so maybe my mama bear was overwhelming me!

I got a second form asking me to completely fill it out - I recall writing notes on it that I felt uncomfortable answering specific ones. Then I think I got a phone call asking me the questions again.

I remember being highly ticked off that they bugged me. 🤬

[TomSlick]

5. Yes, it would be illegal.

13 U.S.C. 221

(a)Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I, II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not more than $100.
(b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection (a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is false, shall be fined not more than $500.

I have found a reference to the Census Bureau claiming the fine could be as much as $5,000 under 18 U.S.C. 3571 which sets the fine for "an offense."

Civil disobedience has always been an important part of the American process. However, it is not without its price.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Any man who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail in order to arouse the conscience of the community on the injustice of the law is at that moment expressing the very highest respect for law."

[BigmanPigman]

7. Thanks for the info. It sucks though.

[marylandblue]

13. 18 USC 3571 provides an exception if there is another penalty

set by a different law. So the specific fine of $100 overrides the bigger fine in 18 USC 3571.

[TomSlick]

14. I think that correct.

I think it odd the Census Bureau (at least in the report I was reading) suggests that 18 USC 3571 would apply.

[marylandblue]

8. I refused to fill out the long form version in 2005

Because it had a threat of legal prosecution right on the envelope. I blamed the Bush Administration for being nasty SOBs. I researched it and found out the fine was $100. When they came to my door, I said, "Sue me!" Of course they never did. I don't think the fine has changed.

[BigmanPigman]

9. Maybe if enough of us say "Sue me"

they will have enough $$$ to build that lovely border wall to keep out the people they are asking us about. I wouldn't put that past the GOP tricksters.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. ? There was no federal census in 2005.

In 2000, and in 2010. Every ten years.

There are various things inbetween the big ones, but I think you can opt out of any of those.

[marylandblue]

12. Long form something or other, not the regular census

Additional questions to provide more statistical info, not in the constitution but same statutes apply. You can't opt out, at least not legally.

[FakeNoose]

11. There are (or used to be) 2 versions of the census

There's a short version that most people receive, and there's a long version that asks a lot more questions.

I only got the long one once and it was probably the 1980 census. (I lived in New York then.) I remember that it asked some slightly intrusive questions and I decided I didn't want to answer everything. I did answer about 90% as I recall. There were no knocks on my door or phone calls about it, so I guess it was OK that I chose not to answer certain things.

The short census is much more concise and that's the one that most of us will get. I believe the Citizenship question will either be deleted off the census, or it will be voluntary. These lawsuits will have settled the question long beforehand. Also Eric Holder plans to fight it in federal court too.

[BlueSpot]

15. I was thinking...

All of us Dems in red states ought to not participate. If everyone did, that would make their strategy backfire. If the law requires you to answer the census and the matter of the question is still tied up in court, couldn't you just write in that the question is unconstitutional and you are not willing to answer it?

Best of all, the consequences of the short count would be visited on the red states.

[rusty fender]

16. I answered the question: what is your phone #?, thusly:

you have got to be fucking kidding me!

I also answered some of the questions with “not applicable”.

This was in 2010. I never heard from the government about my answers.

I agree with the counting of people in our country, but the government does not have the right to demand that we answer some of their prying questions. Many of their questions have nothing to to with counting people

[shanny]

17. I was listening to the teevee this morning? with half an ear and heard

Last edited Wed Mar 28, 2018, 01:39 AM - Edit history (1)

something about you can answer a question, or not--but if you do answer, it must be true



did find this though: The law also forbids the sharing of individual Census reports with any other “department, bureau, agency, officer, or employee of the Government” (including the CIA and FBI) and prohibits release of anything but statistical information that does not identify individuals or businesses. Furthermore, the law makes it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 for any Census official to make unauthorized release of information.

[Ms. Toad]

18. So, let's think this through . . .

Progressives refuse to fill out the citizenship question. Right wing idiots fill it out. The jerks holding our government hostage decide to use the answer to that question to apportion legislative seats, or allocate block grants for health care, and count non-answers as non-citizens . . .

I don't think that would end the way you hope.

[edhopper]

19. I worked the Census in 2010

Plenty of people didn't answer some of the questions.
We mainly needed a head count per houshold.
Sometimes a neighbor could give us enough info if the nobody was at house when we called.
People can refuse the citizenship question.
The problaem will be the very question will have people avoid any answer.

[safeinOhio]

20. I would think you could refuse

on religious grounds.

The Bible seems to be filled with loop holes.

[Lee-Lee]

21. If you refuse to answer at all they will estimate the basic numbers

So if nobody at your residence responds to mail, calls or door knocks they will go around and ask your neighbors how many people live there and look into tax records, talk to a landlord, etc.

I had a crazy neighbor in 2000 who refused to talk to them, so eventually they came to my door asking about her.