Senator DiDomenico Urges Residents to Respond to the 2020 Census

BOSTON- Senator Sal DiDomenico recently put out a call to his constituents and residents across the Commonwealth to respond to the 2020 Census. Last week, a federal judge barred the Trump Administration from ending the census count a month early, issuing a temporary injunction that prevents the federal government from halting census-taking on September 30th, a full month before the original October 31st deadline approved by Congress. Senator DiDomenico hailed this decision as a win for hard-to-count communities, like Everett and Chelsea. However, he also warned his constituents not to delay responding to the census, as the recent court decision is likely to be appealed by the Trump Administration. 

“This is a major win for our communities to help ensure that the census count is fair & accurate,” said Senator DiDomenico. “I have been working hard this legislative session to secure state funding to help reach historically hard-to-count communities, like Everett and Chelsea, and the Administration's decision to end the count a month early did nothing to help our efforts. This ruling is a big win, but still so much uncertainty remains. If you haven't responded to the 2020 Census yet, please do not delay any longer. Our district and the entire Commonwealth depend on your household to respond so our communities get the fair share of federal funding and representation that we need and deserve.”

Preparations for the 2020 Census has been a top priority for Senator DiDomenico this legislative session. He has worked closely with the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund to secure funding needed in advance of the 2020 Census and to spread awareness on the importance of a complete and accurate census count. Throughout the legislative session, he has partnered with advocacy organizations to host legislative briefings at the Massachusetts State House to secure support for census funding in the state budget and help legislators and staff understand what is at stake in the 2020 Census. Most recently, the Senator secured funding for the Everett Haitian Community Center and La Comunidad to support additional census outreach in the city of Everett.

Last budget cycle, DiDomenico played a key role in securing funding in the state budget that will help to ensure a complete and accurate count in the 2020 Census. The Senator was the lead sponsors of an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget that provided $2.5 million to establish a grant program for statewide census outreach. This grant program will help to support trusted community organizations and grassroots leaders reach historically hard-to-count communities.

While the COVID-19 crisis has created new obstacles to 2020 Census outreach, there are many ways that households can respond to the census without anyone having to come to their door.

Massachusetts residents can respond to the census today:

·       Online at my2020census.gov

·       Over the phone at 1-844-330-2020

·       Or via mail (census forms were mailed to households across the nation last month)

Online responses and those done over the phone are available in over 13 languages. 

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