2020 Census will ask about citizenship, Commerce Dept. says

The questionnaire for the 2020 Census will ask people if they are U.S. citizens, the Commerce Department said Monday night, despite the objections of Democrats. The inclusion of that question has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, and in a statement the Commerce Department said it had been added at the request of the Justice Department. The question is controversial because it may scare undocumented immigrants from filling out the Census form. The Census is meant to count all U.S. residents, not just citizens. Undercounting the population of undocumented immigrants could have major repercussions as Census data is used to redraw House districts, decide the number of House seats each state gets and the number of electoral votes for each state. That could reduce the influence of urban areas and traditionally Democratic strongholds. Nearly 20 Democratic state attorneys general had appealed to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to keep the question off the Census form, saying it would manipulate the count. Monday's statement said Ross "determined that obtaining complete and accurate information to meet this legitimate government purpose outweighed the limited potential adverse impacts." The final wording of the Census form is due Saturday.