Lopez Testimony on ACR-188

Assemblywoman Says the Resolution Deals with the Cold Had Facts That We Have About the Census and the Very Real Consequences of an Undercount

         (TRENTON) – Below is the full testimony of Yvonne Lopez (D-Middlesex) made during this afternoon’s public hearing on ACR-188:

          “For the past year and a half, I have focused a majority of my time and effort as a Legislator on the importance of the 2020 Census. The Census which many take for granted, is arguably one of the single most important policy issues we face this year and New Jersey has an incredible amount at stake.

“The decennial Census determines billions in federal funding, our political representation and provides crucial data that touches every aspect of our lives as residents of this state. This year the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, has created a serious obstacle to the U.S. Census and our goal of a complete an accurate count of New Jersey is at tremendous threat. As I understand, the Census Bureau has been planning for this Census since 2010 and never could they have imagined a situation in which their valuable door to door enumeration work would be completely compromised.

“As of today, New Jersey’s self-response rate is 64.1% and in although laudable without a comprehensive non-response follow up phase, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents will not be accounted for in the Census. In fact, in my hometown, Perth Amboy the self-response rate is 56.6%, a figure which all but ensures an undercount is taking place. While, the non-response follow-up rate in our State is being planned for August, the COVID-19 pandemic will create severe complications towards the practice further contributing to an undercount. Every individual that is not counted represents a net loss to the State and creates an impact that will be felt for the next 10 years.

“On today’s bill, we focus on the Census and the redistricting process. From the very beginning, the Census has been the target of the Trump administration and its concerted effort to disenfranchise Hispanic populations in particular. First the Administration attempted to add a citizenship question to the Census and more recently the President is attempting to issue an Executive Order banning the undocumented from being counted in the Census. This coupled with a Census that has been fraught with complications and errors goes to show the importance of a measure like ACR-188 that will protect communities across the State so that they can be accurately counted and so that their gains can be realized and translated through a thoughtful and deliberate redistricting process.

“We all know that communities of color throughout New Jersey stand to make enormous gains in our state. Gains that will increase our community’s voting power and representation in state politics. These gains can only happen through an accurate and complete Census count. Any attempts to rush the Census Bureau will unequivocally result in underrepresentation for the people who need to be counted the most.

Amending the constitution is a solution that my colleagues and I do not take lightly, however it is the best alternative we have to protect the integrity of the redistricting process and the collective voices of communities of color throughout our State.

“ACR-188 must not be misaligned or misrepresented as a political machination. The resolution deals with the cold had facts that we have about the Census and the very real consequences of an undercount. This policy provides a sensible solution that will put forth a redistricting process that has accurate and complete Census data, ultimately resulting in a map that has realized the tremendous gains of minority communities over the past 10 years.”