If you are getting antsy (or bored) with the maneuvering around the Senate Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump and have some time in your calendar, here is a relatively small but high impact activity that supports the rule of law, builds political power for the underrepresented, and acknowledges and promotes the diversity of our communities. Apply for a part or full time job as a census taker for the 2020 Census. By helping accomplish an accurate Census, you are pushing back against the authoritarian, anti-democratic politics of the Trump era.
The census is required by the US Constitution, Article 1, Section 2 and serves as the fundamental underpinning for the allocation of Congressional seats and the funding of most Federal government programs. The accurate and fair census count of all those living in the United States determines the balance of power in Congress and State Legislatures, the distribution of federal money, and comprises the official statistical portrait of America.
It should be a simple counting of all the people living in the United States, but for the last three years the Trump Administration has sought to distort the census count in order to skew political power and disenfranchise minority Americans. To counteract the changing demographics of the country, which are hostile to Republican dominance in the long run, Republican strategists have sought to lower the count of Latinos and other ethnic groups through intimidation. Overt statements and subtle signals imply that the census information is not private and will be shared with law enforcement. This is absolutely false! Working for the Census, you can assure people that the census is important and their privacy will be protected. It is also a democratic reaffirmation and an act of resistance.
Owing in part to Trump’s failed effort to require that the Census itself include questions on citizenship, the Census Bureau is behind in hiring enough workers to carry out the count. You can help remedy this situation by applying for a census job – full or part time. The more dedicated census workers there are, the better the count and the more fair the administration of government for the next 10 years. Friends who participated last time report that it is surprisingly fun and fulfilling work! And it pays between $14 and $26/hour depending on where you live.
The initial application is reasonably simple and takes 20 to 30 minutes. After your application is processed the Census Bureau requires fingerprints and runs a background check. This is followed by a phone interview. Paid training begins in March; most of the enumeration work is scheduled for March through July. The majority of the jobs involve going to people’s homes and verifying the number of people living there.
Call to Action:
Go online to apply for a job – full or part time - as an enumerator or a supervisor. Support an accurate Census and enjoy meeting your neighbors!