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Winter 1990

Spring 1990

President Sandra Duckworth
Evelyn Bender
Board Notes
Captains of Change
Face to Face: An Interview with Dr. Mary Anne Raywid
Coming Up
Introducing
Our thanks to the Following Corporations
Invitation
Hawaii Area-Wide Information Access Network
Who Will Have Political and Economic Power in the Next Decade? (Debbie Kimball)

Who Will Have Political and Economic Power in the Next Decade?

LWVUS Ed Fund reports that. "As part of its emphasis on Advocate for the Voter activities. the LWVEF is promoting activities in support of the 1990 census as an essential step in ensuring full political participation. Undercounting impact(s) for years the allocation of state and federal resources as well as apportionment of legislature on all levels.

LWVUS Ed Fund notes that the census affects League program through, for example, school class size projections, basic needs programs, land use planning and infrastructure.

Since resource allocation and representation are relative among jurisdictions, "complete count" is competitive. Fifty-two lawsuits on undercount by local and state governments and groups of governments followed the 1980 census.

Minorities have always been undercounted, as have inner city and rural dwellers, aliens, people who don't read and speak English well, the poor and the homeless. So Hawaii may have been underrepresented in the U. S. House, and our State and local districting skewed. Further, a complete count of Hawaiians could be crucial to Hawaiians in the coming decade. The Census Bureau is committed to corrective methodology, but only every household and local government can ensure complete count.

The objective of supporting complete count is that people want versus "have-to-be" counted.

How can League support complete count?

  • Publicize the LWVEF endorsement statement and the importance of the census.

  • Work with or encourage Census or local official and Mayor's Complete Count Committees or other endorsing organizations, churches, schools, senior centers, libraries, business, unions and employers.

  • Have a local college survey funds the community receives from programs that rely on census data, and make a flier highlighting results.

LWVUS Ed Fund is seeking grants to offer to Leagues.

If you'd like to help ensure your state or county's accurate representation and government funding, let me know. I represent Kauai League on Kaua'i's Complete Count Committee (the Mayor chose League to-promote census participation through local non-profits), and can forward materials that I receive and write.

Census Day is April 1.. 1990!

Debbie Kimball

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