Census 2010 campaigns for college students

Concordian College ^ | April 8th 2010 | Mary Beenken

[Shadowjudge]

Local funding, college grants, and a congressional seat: these are all things that Minnesota college students could lose, depending on the results of the upcoming 2010 census. Unfortunately, college students are also one of the groups that the United States Census Bureau has the most difficulty counting.

“Sometimes when students are busy with classes they forget basic civic obligations,” said Barbara Ronningen, a demographer for the state of Minnesota.

According to the 2010 Census Web site, the federal government appropriates about $400 billion to state, local, and tribal governments for schools and other projects. The money from these funds is used to determine tuition programs and grants for college students. If fewer people are counted, there is less money to go around for all students regardless of whether or not they participate in the census.

According to Ronningen, the results for this census are also especially important for Minnesota politically. Congressional seats are distributed based on population. Current statistics show that Minnesota is 1,100 people short of keeping their eighth seat in the House of Representatives.

Mario Vargas, Minnesota’s Census Campaign Coordinator, said that losing a Representative could have a profound impact on Minnesota.

“If we lose a congressional seat, we lose power, clout, and resources,” he said. “That’s one less person advocating for us down in Washington, DC.”

Vargas and Ronningen said that an accurate count on the census could help Minnesota retain their Representative because the more people who are counted, the closer the population will be to the threshold that determines the appropriation of Representatives..........

[Shadowjudge]

Ok, so basically if you go to school, yet you vote back in your home state, you are required to be counted where you go to school? However the state you go to school are awarded with state funding AND your representation? Is that basically what this is saying? I'm a Conservative college student going to a RI school. I vote back in Massachusetts, and helped get Scott Brown elected as we needed to stop the health care bill. It only delayed them, but i digress.

What do you think about them taking my representation to another state where I'm not represented, in the name of state funding, and artificially bolstering the power of their vote. I personally made sure i was home as often as possible this year so i can be listed on my home census, and was back home on the 1st of April, because i saw the question beforehand, and refuse to be counted in RI. Any opinion on the matter, and is this legal/constitutional?

[justlurking]

However, it is crucial that all college students not living with their parents are counted in the place where they spend the majority of the year. For most college students, this is school, and the government needs to plan accordingly for future students.

No, you should be counted in the state where you are registered to vote. The rest is bulls***.

The primary purpose of the census is to determine the apportionment of the 435 Congressional seats. The rest is just noise.

[mlocher]

The entire “Fill out the census form” marketing campaign makes me ill. Fill out the census so that local leaders can get their fair share of graft from the federal government. It is nauseating.

[WOBBLY BOB]

it’s all about the free cheese:

The Census and the Welfare State

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2473712/posts