Why Every American Should Skip Citizenship Census Question

[thomhartmann]

The 2020 Census will include a question that Greg Palast wants every American to skip as a protest against Kris Kobach's policies against voting rights and migrants in the county.

Kobach and Donald Trump have been working to add a question about whether or not someone is a citizen to the 2020 Census and it looks like they have got their way. Will those who mark no on that question be visited by ICE or local police or will Kris Kobach and the Republicans use this as a way to purge more voters?

Could every American leaving this question blank save the lives the migrants the vote and our country?

[Ligyron]

1. Or why not just lie and answer "Yes" to the citizenship question?

I mean, if they have to actually ask the question, it means they don't know, right?

What's the risk to their doing this? Because there's no way enough people will leave the question unanswered to matter and won't not answering risk that legitimate citizen not being counted at all?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Census answers are private, but fear of Trump's brown shirts is great. . . . nt

[2naSalit]

5. As I've been saying...

ignore the question. If we don't participate in that question, it messes with that question. Answer the rest of the question that you can but that one is bogus and should be boycotted. The current regime would spy on people if they suspect anything so lying isn't wise. Lying on federal forms, no matter how benign they may seem, can cause lots of problems because it is illegal.

Just don't answer the question.

Also, forms go to "Housing Units" and so you go by household in most cases, for a certain date (one day of the year) which should be 4/1 of 2019 in this Census. So whomever was residing at that household or living quarters, even just staying briefly as a visitor, is counted and documented along with some status queries. The citizenship thing is so wrong that we should protest by just not answering the question.

[dalton99a]

10. +1

[Nitram]

3. Excellent solution. Boycott the citizenship question!!!

[CaptYossarian]

7. If only the d-bags in red states answer "yes", do they get all the Congressional districts?

We could be doing serious harm to our newest capture of the House. I'm for everyone answering "yes". We should focus more attention to capturing the Senate and deposing the orange goon. Then we can convict him and impeach his two illegitimate SCOTUS justices.

[BarbD]

4. Who is sent the census?

Where do they get the "list"? Does it go to "Occupant"?

[2naSalit]

6. Mailed and hand carry questionnaires

are sent to addresses. There is a forward team who will go out this year and create maps for next year. They have to identify and spot w/GPS each Housing Unit and all other places where people reside or sleep at night. Those maps are used by the enumerators who actually go to these places. I live in a rural state where 75-80% of the questionnaires had to be hand delivered. It's quite an effort. Prisons are counted by a special group, not just the regular citizens who are hired to do the groundwork.

I see the whole process as one of the largest, long-term science projects conducted by John Q. Public. I worked the last one, I am glad I won't be doing this one, but the pay was really good.

[randr]

8. They will use the unanswered question as a reason to throw the whole thing out

Just like voter ballots. One mistake or crooked letter and to the trash bin it goes.

[Ligyron]

9. THAT'S what I'm afraid will happen if the citizenship questions is left blank.

Everyone should be encouraged to answer "yes" IMHO. The logistics of just counting the people in the first place is burdensome enough. Then they're going to backtrack and investigate all "yes" answers? Maybe just the one's with Hispanic names perhaps? Profiling IS legal? Lying may be illegal too but perhaps in this case a bit of civil disobedience is called for.