Thread by @vanitaguptaCR

Important: The #2020Census is one of the most urgent civil rights issues facing the country — and right now, every person in America has the opportunity to help ensure the count is fair and accurate for all communities. This thread explains how (plus some background). 1/

The Census Bureau has invited the public to comment on the #2020Census, including the questions that will appear on the form. That means the American people can speak directly to the Trump administration about its misguided actions to undermine the integrity of the 2020 count. 2/

After @uscensusbureau spent nearly a decade carefully preparing and testing questions to be included on the #2020Census, Commerce @SecretaryRoss caved to political pressure in March of this year and directed the bureau to add a question on citizenship to the census form. 3/

Thanks to documents released by DOJ as part of one of the six federal lawsuits challenging the decision, we know the real motivation behind it. Extremists like Kris Kobach & Steve Bannon urged the admin to include a citizenship question to further their anti-immigrant agenda. 4/

The documents also show that the Census Bureau warned Commerce Department leadership about the disastrous results, including depressed response rates, increased costs, and inaccurate data that the nation would have to live with for the next 10 years. 5/

This morally bankrupt decision will affect everyone, with communities that are already at risk of being undercounted — including people of color, young children, and low-income rural and urban residents — suffering the most. 6/

States, cities, counties, civil rights and immigrant rights groups, and the bipartisan @usmayors have already sued to have the question removed. Now it’s the people’s turn to raise their collective voices by flooding @CommerceGov with opposition to the citizenship question. 7/

There should be no sides when it comes to the census. It’s the bedrock of our representative democracy. @civilrightsorg and our coalition are proud to support leaders across the country who are defending the census — and ensuring no one gets left behind. 8/

The public can submit comments to the Commerce Department until August 7. Please visit censuscounts.org to submit your comment, then tell your friends to do the same to help #SaveTheCensus. 9/9