351 Communities

Massachusetts is pushing hard to get its immigrant population counted.  As such a high percentage of Massachusetts residents are immigrants (14%), this will be critical.  They are unfamiliar with the process, meaning that reaching out to them will be key in saving the 10th Congressional District and billions in federal funding.  Additionally, a private group, the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund, is raising and distributing funds to community groups to raise awareness of the census and increase the response rate, the Boston Globe reports.  Promoting the census through community groups will be key for getting the immigrants to respond, as

“Immigrants, now 14 percent of the state, are among the hardest-to-count groups for a number of reasons. Some are unfamiliar with the census, others are from countries with repressive regimes that left them reluctant to divulge personal information to the government, and a minority are here illegally and fear deportation.” (Boston Globe)

However, I think Secretary Galvin can pull things together and save our Congressional District, especially since we saw an influx of immigrants (foreign and domestic) last year.  Plus, there is much room for improvement, as

“In 2000, only 69 percent of Massachusetts households returned the form by mail, close to the national average, and it was lower in many cities where a high proportion of residents are immigrants or poor.” (Boston Globe)

Will Galvin’s strategies work?  We shall see.

Well, it’s the year.  The census happens this year.  This will determine whether MA loses a CD or not.  I will be on top of all the census and redistricting news as the year progresses.  I will also cover the governor’s race and some legislature and Congressional races of note.  Stick with me for all of this

I read this good news in the Globe yesterday.  There is a possibility that Massachusetts will not lose a Congressional District, after all.  For the first time in years, more people are moving to Massachusetts than leaving.  Between July 2008 and July 2009, the Massachusetts population increased by 50,000.  While this increase alone will not save a district, it is still very good news.  If this trend continues, we will have a good chance to keep the 10th CD, especially since, as reported by the Globe, Galvin’s office “will be awarding small grants to neighborhood groups, religious groups, and civic groups to persuade immigrants to participate [in the census].”  This will help us make sure everyone is counted, and will give us an advantage over other states.  Strategies like this have helped before, with eight MA cities and towns challenging their census estimates, adding 22,000 to the Massachusetts population. Galvin has the experience as Secretary of the Commonwealth, and can steer us through this census process so as to avoid losing a CD