Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein has joined the legal battle against the Trump Administration’s amended 2020 Census schedule. The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced the time for accepted self-response questionnaires and door-to-door follow-ups by census enumerators would be cut by an entire month. Instead of October 31, those efforts must conclude September 30.
A coalition of attorneys general, cities, counties, and the bi-partisan U.S. Conference of Mayors filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit requesting a temporary injunction of the schedule change. The complaint calls the Bureau’s decision a “rush plan” that will hamstring outreach efforts and impair the count’s accuracy. A court hearing has been scheduled for September 17.
“We cannot allow the Trump administration to rob the citizens of Columbus and other communities across the nation the right -- as required in the Constitution -- to be counted," Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said. "Cutting the timeline is cutting people out.”
Census results determine the number of seats allocated to states in the U.S. House of Representatives. The count also helps decide where to distribute billions of dollars in annual federal spending.
Columbus and Franklin County launched a census outreach strategy in March 2019. Here's a link for additional information.
