On the opposite end of the spectrum are Texas and a handful of other places that lack such funds and state-level support. In these areas, devoting manpower for census outreach can get more difficult as the process drags on, said Elizabeth O’Hara, co-chairwoman of the Paso Del Norte Complete Count Committee in El Paso, Texas.
“Not having the backing from the state of Texas, which gives lip service to backing communities like ours, is getting really old for communities like El Paso,” O’Hara said.
The coronavirus pandemic may not let up enough for community groups to conduct the in-person outreach they originally planned last year, O’Hara said. In the meantime, groups continue efforts like hyperlocal social media advertising, creating rivalries between local neighborhoods and outreach through food banks.
Many organizations are also acting in an element of self-interest. Local businesses want better data about their communities because accurate counts result in more funding for local hospitals and the like. Others really depend on the census for federal support, O’Hara said.
El Paso has grown massively in the past decade, and there are rural areas in the eastern area of the county that need a good count to justify build-outs of water, sewer and electric utilities.
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June 25, 2020 at 02:50AM
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Local advocacy groups still pushing for higher census response - Roll Call
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