Census Counts

Census Counts (formerly Census Counts 2020) is a project of the Leadership Conference Education Fund, the 501(c)(3) component of Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a left-of-center civil rights-focused political advocacy group which has staunchly opposed President Donald Trump. The program aims to increase participation among demographic groups likely to support liberal policies and the Democratic Party in the Census to influence future voting and government funding.

Read More

At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Fiscally Sponsored Project, Organization
Ideological Alignment: Left of Center
Website: censuscounts.org
Director:

Beth Lynk

Location: Washington, DC View on map

Contents

    Goals

    Every ten years, the federal government conducts a national census upon which the following decade’s congressional and state legislative maps, as well as Electoral College allocations, are based. These allocations impact both state and federal elections as well as the distribution of over $800 billion in annual federal funding. 1 Census Counts 2020 promotes the 2020 census to groups which are likely to vote for the Democratic Party to increase the party’s Congressional and electoral power. Target groups include:2

    • Racial minorities
    • Immigrants
    • Union members
    • Disabled individuals
    • Infants and children
    • Low-income individuals
    • Homeless people
    • Teachers
    • Healthcare workers
    • Particular faith-based communities

    Action Groups

    Census Counts 2020 divides its efforts into three “action groups.” 2 The Get Out the Count Coalition is a toolkit distributed nationally to community organizing groups to promote participation in the census. 3 The States Count Action Network coordinates state-level census-promoting organizations in all 50 states. 4 Census Champions is a network of elected officials, Native American tribal officials, and library trustees who oversee the administration of the 2020 census at the local level. 1

    Leadership

    Census Counts 2020 is led by long-time left-of-center activists and Democratic Party supporters, including numerous former employees of Planned Parenthood, which is also a partner organization of Census Counts 2020. 5

    Director Beth Lynk campaigned for President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection, worked as a digital strategy consultant for Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and worked in multiple capacities for Planned Parenthood for three years. 6 National communications director Tamika Turner worked for Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and for Planned Parenthood for almost three years. 7 Senior field manager Diali Avila worked for the National Immigration Law Center and as a program manager at Planned Parenthood. 8

    Partner Organizations

    Census Counts 2020 works with dozens of national and state-level left-of-center organizations to coordinate efforts and mobilize census takers. The group’s national partners include:9

    Contact InfluenceWatch to report errors, suggest edits, or provide tips for additional profiles.

    Contact Us

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Census Champions.” Census 2020. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://censuscounts.org/censuschampions/.
    2. “About Us.” Census Counts 2020. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://censuscounts.org/about/.
    3. “Get Out the Count Toolkit.” Census Counts 2020. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://censuscounts.org/gotc-toolkit/.
    4. “Resources in Your States.” Census Counts 2020. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://censuscounts.org/state-by-state/.
    5. “Our Staff.” Census Counts 2020. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://censuscounts.org/about/.
    6. “Beth Lynk.” Linkedin. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethlynk/.
    7. “Tamika Turner.” Linkedin. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamikavalerieturner/.
    8. “Diali Avila.” Linkedin. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dialiavila/.
    9. “Our Partners.” Census Counts 2020. Accessed April 18, 2020. https://censuscounts.org/about-cc/.