I had the privilege of serving as a census enumerator for about six weeks this spring and summer. My assignment was to follow up on residences for which the Census Bureau had not received a valid, completed census form. It was an educational experience.

Many of the homes I visited were in the Sterling area. The residents I talked with were from diverse backgrounds, many of them Hispanic. Although I didn’t speak Spanish, many of the Spanish-speaking residents I talked to were cooperative and we were able to communicate sufficiently to fill out the census form.
I was encouraged and impressed with the number of second-generation teenage children or young adults in immigrant households who understood the purpose and importance of the census. In many cases, they were able to answers questions for their parents.

When asked about the origin or race of their children, a number of immigrant parents proudly told me their children were “American.” One young Hispanic woman told me she had discussed the question of origin with her classmates in school and concluded her origin was American Indian, albeit South American Indian.

Most uncooperative were those who felt the census questions were a government intrusion into their privacy or that they were only required by the Constitution to reveal how many people lived in their household. Much more personal information is revealed to the “government” when people apply for a driver’s license or to insurance companies when they apply for health or life insurance or to banks when they apply for a loan. One person told me he was refusing to answer because he didn’t want to support the “Obama census,” as if this were something the Obama administration was imposing.

Those who refused to answer census questions on constitutional grounds did not understand that the constitution is not a legal document but rather it gives Congress the right to impose laws regarding what information can be collected during a census. The census questions have nothing directly to do with the Constitution. The government has the authority to ask the questions in line with its duty to conduct the census. Permanent U.S. residents are required, by law, to submit to the census, according to U.S. Code Title 13, Section 221. Those who refused to answer were in violation of U.S. law and can be prosecuted and fined. Also, these folks generally were rude and hostile. Fortunately there were few, but more than I had anticipated.

I found most folks to be hospitable and cooperative. Several invited me in and offered me ice tea or cold water during the hot July days. People of Asian background were particularly hospitable.

Finally, as a country, we should be thankful and proud of those dedicated census enumerators that worked all days and hours of the week in rain or 100 degree temperatures, going from door-to-door not knowing what to expect. Most of my co-workers were hard-working, patient, competent and “thick skinned” when verbally assaulted. For many, it was not only a privilege but a job of necessity to make ends meet in this economic climate.

John Wilson

Sterling