RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A CITY OF CHICAGO COMPLETE COUNT COMMISSION
WHEREAS, accurate recording of the population of the City of Chicago by the United States Census Bureau during the process of conducting the 2020 Census is vital to all Chicago citizenry to ensure and maintain a representative democracy; and
WHEREAS, reports found in various electronic and print media documented nearly two hundred thousand people within the City of Chicago, most of them in African American communities, were not included in the 2010 United States Census; and
WHEREAS, at that time, ample concerns were raised by state and civic leaders that purported large numbers of Chicago citizens were undercounted by census workers who either failed to go forth into certain communities or improperly recorded answers provided by reluctant residents; and
WHEREAS, such undercounting by the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as improper recording of responses given by the citizenry of Chicago, has multiple adverse consequences to the city and the state, including, but not limited to, the loss of congressional representation for the State of Illinois and diminished federal funding to provide essential services; and
WHEREAS, during the 1990 United States Census, a documented history of undercounting certain Chicago communities subsequently forced a recount to be ordered after the U.S. Census Bureau acknowledged that multiple census workers may have not actually checked residences or did, in fact, make inadvertent mistakes; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that this legislative body immediately form and fund a Complete Count Commission comprised of Aldermen working alongside volunteers from not-for-profit, faith-based, civic, and business leadership. This commission will be tasked with developing an outreach plan to encourage all residents of the City of Chicago to proactively participate in the 2020 Census; and
WHEREAS, the Complete Count Commission is expected to offer its collective insight, knowledge, and...
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