Friend, Common Cause is suing to STOP Trump’s unlawful attempt to rig the 2020 Census.
With your help, we’re headed for a high-stakes, election year legal battle -- and we’re ready to do whatever it takes to make sure every single one of us counts.
We simply can’t stay silent while the President attempts to skew how electoral districts are drawn, instill fear and chaos in immigrant communities, and rile up his white supremacist base.
Friend, let me explain why Trump’s latest attack on the 2020 Census should concern every American -- and why I’m confident our lawsuit can win in court.
You probably saw that President Trump announced his plan to radically change the way we conduct the 2020 Census. How? He wants to manipulate the data after it’s collected to lower the count in towns and cities where immigrant families live. If he’s successful, these communities will be penalized with less representation in Congress and fewer public resources. [1]
The first thing you need to know about the Trump Administration’s action -- and the reason we are suing -- is that it’s completely and obviously unconstitutional.
Our Constitution expressly forbids the Administration from picking and choosing who counts -- to serve their political agenda or for any other reason. The 14th Amendment is clear-- representation depends on “counting the whole number of persons in each state.” [2]
We’re confident the Trump Administration’s latest move won’t survive our legal challenge, but this fight is bigger than that. That’s because trying to manipulate census data is just the latest attack in this all-out war against the idea of equal representation.
It all goes back to the plan Common Cause uncovered in the personal memos of GOP redistricting strategist Thomas Hofeller -- who advocated for counting only voting-age citizens, leaving out children and non-citizens. [3]
Why? Take it from Hofeller himself -- this change would specifically advantage “Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites” in redistricting, and cut everyone else out of decisions that affect us all.
We won’t let it happen. And we’re prepared to go to court to make sure of that. This legal fight is absolutely necessary to stop the efforts to rig the census and redistricting -- but taking it on will place an additional strain on our limited resources.
On top of everything we’re doing to ensure a fair 2020 election during a pandemic… and protect voters’ rights to cast their ballots safely and securely… and protect the Postal Service and other cherished institutions that have come under attack… we now must also fight a legal battle, potentially before the Supreme Court, to protect everyone’s right to be counted.
But I’m confident we can pull it off… so long as we can count on Common Cause members like you to step up with the necessary resources. Please chip in to our Emergency Legal Fund today >>
If you want to know how important getting the 2020 Census count right is, just consider that we’re using 2010 Census data right now to allocate COVID-19 tests and PPE. [4]
Our government uses census data in countless ways like this -- with population counts determining how to allocate funding for fire trucks, hospitals, schools, and more.
So, if we aren’t able to stop these threats to a fair and accurate census, we’ll cement a decade of fewer resources, diminished public services, and less of a voice in government for millions of Americans.
And that’s exactly the point -- locking a narrow, xenophobic vision of America that you and I find abhorrent into our very system of government -- and shutting all but a few of us out of the decisions that affect all of us. For the sake of our democracy, we must stop them.
We can strike a MAJOR legal blow against that cynical effort right here and right now. If you’re with us, can I count on your contribution to our Emergency Legal Fund today?
Friend, we can’t stand by while political operatives try to remove people of color – Black people, Latinx people, Asian Americans, indigenous people, and immigrants -- from our democracy.
For the sake of our nation’s future -- and the values that you and I share -- we simply must hold our ground in this moment. I’m glad to know you’re on our side.
Thanks for all you do,
Keshia Morris Desir, Census Project Manager
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/us/politics/trump-immigrants-census-redistricting.html
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/us/census-citizenship-question-hofeller.html
[3] https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv
[4] https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/04/how-census-data-help-the-nation-respond-to-disasters.html
