Campaign urges illegal residents to answer census

CARSON CITY -- When it comes to the U.S. census, every person counts, even illegal residents. In fact, each of them is worth $917 a year to Nevada in additional federal funds.

That is why the state has launched an $886,000 media campaign to encourage residents to answer a questionnaire the U.S. Census Bureau will send out to all known Nevada households in March.

Those who do not receive or respond to the questionnaire will be visited by census takers starting in May.

The number of illegal immigrants in Nevada was pegged at 250,000 in November 2008 by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., but might have dropped since then because of the lack of jobs in the state. Nevada's population is between 2.6 million and 2.8 million.

"Clearly a big part of the campaign will be aimed at Spanish language speakers," said David Byerman, who leads the Nevada census effort for the U.S. Commerce Department.

Some Spanish language speakers have a distrust of government officials, and the campaign will try to eliminate their concerns, he said.

Byerman said any information residents share with census takers will remain confidential. It will not be given to the police or immigration authorities.

Secretary of State Ross Miller said the U.S. Constitution states the government will conduct a census and count all people, not just legal residents.

"Unfortunately, the largest percentage of persons who may not participate are those with a general distrust of government," Miller said.

While undocumented residents do "stay in the shadows," Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Director Bob Fulkerson believes they will participate in the census.

However, he finds the emphasis on lost tax revenue disturbing and an issue that might turn off some people.

"We have done workshops with Latino people," Fulkerson said. "It's more holistic to talk about what our neighborhoods will receive -- community centers, schools, roads and infrastructure -- than talk about $917 a year."

Vincenta Montoya, an immigration lawyer in Clark County, said it always has been a problem to persuade some citizens and undocumented residents to participate in the census.

"There is a good education process already taking place" in Spanish newspapers, TV and radio stations explaining to residents the importance of the census, she said.

She noted that residents will be asked "nothing about their immigration status." She said she is confident that most will participate.

At Miller's urging, the state Board of Examiners on Dec. 18 approved an $886,000 contract with the Weber Shandwick public relations group to carry out a campaign to explain the importance of the census to Nevadans.

Much of the firm's work in Nevada will be carried out by The Ferraro Group, with offices in Reno and Las Vegas.

Funds come from Nevada's share of a securities fraud settlement.

The Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission recommended a public education campaign to induce people to participate in the census out of concern that an undercount could cost Nevada $80 million a year in federal funds.

In the 1990 census, 28,431 Nevadans, or 2.3 percent, failed to participate in the census. The undercount rate dropped to 1.6 percent during the 2000 census. Still 33,570 Nevadans were not counted.

That was Byerman's first go-round running the Nevada census effort and he would like to improve on the undercount rate in 2010.

Besides missing Spanish language residents, Byerman worries that many census takers will arrive at empty homes because the state leads the nation in foreclosures.

Residents in foreclosed homes might be doubling up in the residences of friends or relatives. It will make the job of enumerators more difficult, he said.

For the 2010 census, there will be no "long form" to stir up respondents' complaints. This time the primary respondent will be asked 10 basic questions, among them the respondents' telephone number, how many people live in the household on April 1, 2010, and whether the dwelling is owned or rented.

Also, the primary respondent is asked the names, ages, genders, dates of birth and races of everyone living and sleeping at the home most of the time, be it a single-family residence, apartment or mobile home, how each person is related to the primary respondent, and whether each person sometimes lives or stays somewhere else.

The idea that Nevada could lose $80 million a year if people refuse to participate comes from a census study that found the federal government distributes $400 billion a year in funds for hospitals, senior centers, bridges, schools and job training based on population.

Until the past two years, Nevada traditionally had been the fastest growing state in the nation.

Byerman said the 2010 census will determine whether the state's growth was sufficient enough during the past 10 years to award it a fourth seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He realizes that as much as he tries to eliminate people's concerns, some still will not participate in the census. Those who do not can be fined $100.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has vowed to tell the census taker only how many people live in her home. She said that is all that is required by the Constitution.

Bachmann questioned why the census should be asking people their phone numbers. The U.S. Census Bureau states on the form that the phone number is needed in case census takers need to call because they don't understand some answers.

But the Constitution requires only that a census be taken every 10 years "in such manner as they shall by law direct." It does not specify what questions will be asked.

Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.