Wrangell Sentinel - the oldest continuously published paper in Alaska.

Census count could

affect redistricting

Jessica Wacker

The US Census takes a ‘snap-shot’ of America, as the Census outreach commercials note. That snap-shot will be used for a variety of things, from helping to determine district boundaries in the legislator to giving communities a cornerstone for grant applications and funding allocations.

US Census Bureau partnership specialist LaVerne Lamoureux is working to develop partnerships with community based organizations throughout Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan, and Sitka to help bring clarity to the various aspects of getting everyone counted.

After the decline in participation that marked the dicentennial event in the 1990s, the Census developed partnership specialists to help bring awareness and understanding about the count to the communities. "The value added by having those specialists...we know we did a better job informing the communities," said Lamoureux. She would not be surprised if there was a direct correlation between a climb in census participation and community outreach, she further explained. "Ours is really an educational tool, a material tool, and also to be on the ground to answer community questions.”

For Lamoureux, explaining the far reaching effects of how many members in a community choose to participate is no small task. The whole of Southeast is under a unique pressure to be counted this year due to the state redistricting that will be taking place. The loss of population could lead to the loss of legislative representation, Lamoureux emphasized. Also, with a local population that has been steadily declining in the past few years, getting everyone counted also becomes a factor in how much money will be allocated for schools, grant projects, and community improvement projects.

Financially, the count within each community is a crucial tool used to help the federal government allocate $450 billion nation wide over the next ten years. This is because each person in a community, from New York City to Wrangell, is worth about $1400, explained Lamoureux. "It's not a personal check, and it's not 'we counted 100 people in Wrangell so we're going to get $140,000’," Lamoureux clarified. It's a guideline, she explained.

Part of the goal of Lamoureux's visit Wrangell will be to help local Wrangell partnership assistant David Wilson develop a Complete Count Committee (CCC) which will be responsible for advocating for the community of Wrangell until completion of the census. With the unique situation faced in regards to isolated living conditions and transient workers, garnishing a full count in the area will present hurdles that the CCC will work to overcome.

While Wrangell ranked near the national average and above the state average for participation in 2000, Lamoureux hopes to see an improvement. The US average for participation hovered above 60 percent, she explained. “Imagine if that was closer to 90 percent.”

"It's a civic responsibility to participate, but more importantly your value to your community" is realized through participation, noted Lamoureux.

Both Wilson and Lamoureux hoped to see the past quality of information protection, among other factors, work as an impetus for people to complete the form.

Within Alaska, particular anti-government mindsets can discourage people from completing the form, “You hurt your own cause because you have no voice,” Lamoureux explained of groups that choose not to participate, noting that the census is about showing what variety of people comprise the US.

The US Census takes its duty to protect the information of the US population seriously, explained Lamoureux. She related the history that more than once, government agencies have demanded information from the census be handed over.

For example the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) demanded information from the Census in 1950 during the relocation of president Truman. The Census refused to hand over the information. They were brought to court, where it was ruled that no agency, including the FBI, had the right to access to census data.

Lamoureux expressed that she was excited to continue work with Wrangell, which, from the Assembly to the School Board, has been impressively involved as a community in the effort to get counted.