Is the Census Controversial?

The Census Bureau is fundamental to American democracy — its ten-year counts determine representation in Congress and in the Electoral College, and influence federal and state funding for health, education, transportation, and more. Americans of all political leanings have strong preferences for whom and what they want counted, and obstacles often prevent the Census from making full counts, particularly of minority groups. Some, recalling the Census' history of providing information on various groups for national security reasons, regard the count with skepticism and mistrust. With the 2010 Census looming, Zócalo invites a panel of experts -- including UCI's Jennifer Lee, UCLA's Paul Ong, Jorge-Mario Cabrera of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles, Arturo Vargas of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, and Steve Padilla of the Los Angeles Times -- to consider how the Census works, how it might improve, and why it is relentlessly controversial.