Framingham Launches Complete Count Committee For 2020 Census

FRAMINGHAM, MA- The 2020 census may be a year away but Framingham is getting a running start at nailing down an accurate population count for the city.

The mayor announced on Wednesday the launch of the Complete Count Committee, which will serve as an advisory panel of community leaders and residents who will work to recommend strategies for communication and outreach. Without an accurate census count, the city could be losing federal money.

The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and conducted every 10 years. The purpose is to count all residents in the U.S. and where they live, to produce statistics, keeping responses confidential from both the public and other government agencies.

Census information is used to determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives. The totals can also be used to redraw legislative and school districts. The population totals also affect funding in the Framingham community, and data collected in the census help decision makers know how the community is changing.

In March 2020 the Census Bureau will send an invitation to fill out the census to every address in the city, with an emphasis on filling it out online or by phone. If they get no answer a postcard reminder will be sent in April along with a physical questionnaire. If they still have nothing by mid-May they'll start knocking door-to-door.

A major hurdle Framingham has been faced with in the past and will have again this year is getting the large immigrant population to participate. Things may be even tougher this year with national politics highlighting tensions over immigration.

The Complete Count Committee plans to recruit leaders from local Brazilian and Latino churches to ease fears that taking part in the census could have negative repercussions.

At a January City Council meeting, during the introduction of the census preparation for the city, District 7 Councilor Margareth Shepard pointed out that misinformation was spread to the immigrant community during the 2010 census. The misinformation fueled the fear that responding to the census could make immigrants a target for law enforcement. The "Welcoming Ordinance" recently proposed by Councilor Shepard could help the city put the immigrant community's fears to rest.

The mayor will appoint people to the committee and will accept applications online until 12:00 p.m. on Monday, March 18. Members must be willing to serve until the Census is complete in June 2020.

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