“Alabama now last in nation in Census response” --AL.Com

Friends, the deadline for the Census count is in just five days, and as of earlier this month -- approximately only 60 percent of households in Alabama have responded.

The Census count is critical in ensuring our state receives vital federal funding as well as the number of Representatives we send to Congress -- but Donald Trump has taken repeated action to undermine this process.

First, the initial headcount was interrupted by his failed attempts to unconstitutionally include a citizenship question on the Census form. Then, he attempted to exclude non-citizens from the population count that determines the number of Representatives we send to Congress.

Now, instead of working to ensure that each community is properly counted, the Trump Administration has decided to end its count one month early. We want to know: Do you think the Census count should be extended?

This decision means that the Census Bureau only has a matter of weeks to properly count districts just like ours here in Alabama’s Black Belt during a pandemic -- including hard-to-reach rural areas, dense urban cities, and communities of color who have been disproportionately underrepresented in previous counts.

Terri believes that every state deserves an opportunity to be fairly counted, which is why she’s working to make sure that Republicans in Washington don’t make it harder for our state to receive critical funding. Let us know your thoughts: Do you support extending the Census count?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Terri and her team will be reviewing your responses in the coming days.

-- Team Sewell