The U.S. census kicks into full gear on April 1, 2020, and states are paying close attention. Not only will the census determine the distribution of congressional seats, but the data collected will have a profound impact on state budgets. How?

Many U.S. residents suspect that their answers to the census count that kicks off next month will be used against them, according to an Urban Institute survey released today.

The results show the need for more reassurance that answers are private and help communities get funding, said Michael Karpman, a research associate at the Washington, D.C.-based institute.

Dr. Carah Ong Whaley is Associate Director of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement at James Madison University where she works in partnership with students, faculty, staff and community partners like the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge to embed civic learning and democratic engagement across campus through curricular and co-curricular programming. Dr.

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing with the Census Bureau director and the Government Accountability Office about the status of the count, which fully begins one month from today. “The administration’s preparations for the census have been woefully inadequate,” said Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in her introductory statements.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib accused Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham of “erasing” people of Middle Eastern descent during a House of Representatives Oversight and Reform Committee meeting.

The congresswoman from Michigan was upset that the 2020 census does not include “Middle Eastern/North African” as an option in the ethnicity category despite an Obama-era study that recommended otherwise.

As the 2020 census approaches this spring, committees in cities and counties across North Carolina are working to encourage people to fill out their forms, to ensure the state is properly represented in Congress and gets its fair share of federal spending.

The decennial census is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and it follows that the 2020 Census results will be of great importance to our nation. The Constitution requires that the decennial census be used for reapportioning the Congress of the United States and the Electoral College.

The 2020 Census will also be used for numerous other functions to support good policy-making and economic growth, including:

EL PASO, Texas -- In less than a month, many households in the Borderland will receive their census forms in the mail. The data collection is necessary to help the federal government determine how much funding and how many resources local communities need.

Several communities are difficult to count, including homeless populations. That's why several Borderland shelters and homeless organizations have formed a committee to explore strategies together.

At the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, census workers will come to the shelters to take information from residents.

Organizers from three Las Cruces-area nonprofit groups announced a collaborative 2020 Census campaign that will focus on reaching hard-to-count communities in Doña Ana County.

At a recent press conference hosted in English and Spanish, members of faith-based advocacy group NM Comunidades en Acción y de Fé (CAFé), the Empowerment Congress of Doña Ana County and Doña Ana Communities United spoke about educational and canvassing efforts to "Get Out the Count" regionally.

The Census Bureau is spending millions of dollars on an ad campaign seeking to assure members of the Latino community that their information will not be shared with local or federal authorities.

The ads, which are a part of the bureau’s $500 million campaign, are focused on mitigating fears regarding a lack of confidentiality, following the push for the now-excluded citizenship question from the 2020 census.