In case you missed it: Gov. Jay Inslee today joined Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and a bipartisan coalition of governors from Colorado, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, New York and Vermont in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce Sec. Willbur Ross Jr. and the U.S. Census Bureau Dir. Steven Dillingham, calling for the 2020 Census deadline to be restored.
The Census Bureau announced earlier this month that the previous response collection deadline, moved to October 31 due to COVID-19 concerns, would be changed to September 30. The move eliminates a month of crucial time necessary for the accurate account of Washingtonians and Americans nationwide.
The letter reads, in part:
"In Washington, the state Legislature invested more than $15 million to support a network of trusted messengers connected to the Hard-to-Count communities that could explain the importance of the Census and the confidentiality of responses and encourage participation. The sudden decision to shorten the timeline by a month threatens that significant investment...
"The decennial Census is the foundation of our democracy and tells the story of who we are and where we are going as a nation. Federal funding for essential services and congressional representation is on the line, and it is crucial that we achieve a complete and accurate count. To that end, we would again ask that you fulfill your constitutionally mandated duties to ensure not a single person is left out of the 2020 Census by extending the response deadline."
Read the full letter here.