Over the next few months, The Wellbriety Movement will be providing some communications around the importance of registering to vote and the 2020 Census! Your Voice Matters!

The 2020 Census actually affects how much funding our communities can receive.  If Indigenous communities are not accurately represented, the funding will go down and access to some services could be in jeopardy!  The Census impacts political representation, federal funding, public policy, and many other processes and systems that shape our day-to-day lives. In the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau estimates that American Indians/Alaska Natives living on reservations or in Native villages were undercounted by approximately 4.9 percent, more than double the undercount rate of the next closest population.

Ways to Take Action

Advocacy with Congress: Help your members of Congress understand the importance of adequately funding the Census Bureau to conduct the 2020 Census and avoid undercounting the AI/AN population.

Stay informed about census policy and operational developments with the Census Project, which provides regular updates on census activities in Congress and the Administration.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights census page also provides many resources. Such as access to their Digital Toolkit with key resources to respond to today’s ruling as you continue to inform and support your community.

In addition, the Census Bureau released reports in September 2017 describing its extensive consultations with tribal communities in the years prior. Tribal officials, planners, and community leaders can review the recommendations within the report and push for implementation of needed strategies and approaches for the 2020 Census. The reports are linked below:

2020 Census Tribal Consultations with Federally Recognized Tribes
2020 Census Tribal Consultations with State-Recognized Tribes
2020 Census Tribal Consultations with Oklahoma Tribes
2020 Census Tribal Consultations with the Navajo Nation

Join Complete Count Committees. Educate state, tribal, and local leaders about the challenges Native people will face in the 2020 Census. Advocates can join Tribal Complete Count Committees that will be established among many tribes to ensure a complete 2020 census.

Become a Census Bureau Partner. Partners (organizations, associations, institutions, and the like) will receive timely updates from the Census Bureau as well as promotional materials. Tribal government departments and agencies, such as enrollment offices, IHS clinics and hospitals, senior centers, housing authorities, casinos and others can play a role as partners in the 2020 Census.

Participate in the Census Bureau’s Tribal Government Liaison Program. The Census Bureau will use a Tribal Government Liaison Program in 2020 to educate tribal members, provide a trusted voice, and offer training on the 2020 Census. Tribal governments should appoint liaisons to ensure the success of this program.

Learn more about NCAI’s Policy Research Center.

The 2020 Census marks the first time everyone has been invited to respond online. There’s still time to shape the future for your community. You can complete the #2020Census now online, by phone, or by mail.

Fill out the 2020Census Today

 

Your Vote Matters! Register to Vote for the 2020 Presidential Election

 

The Wellbriety Movement is strongly encouraging everyone to register to vote! To get more information, visit usa gov.