Washington, DC: In celebration of Census Day, When We All Vote, ATTN: and Census Counts released a video message on the importance of participating in the 2020 Census. The video features When We All Vote Co-Chairs Tom Hanks, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monáe, Megan Rapinoe, Faith Hill and Liza Koshy discussing how participation in the 2020 Census can shape the future of communities across the country.
“At a time like this, we are feeling a lot of uncertainty, and it’s critical that the people representing us understand our communities and our needs,” said When We All Vote Co-Chair Selena Gomez. “I’m excited to encourage everyone to take a few minutes to participate in the 2020 Census online, over the phone or by mail — because we all can have an impact on what our future looks like,” she added.
Census Day highlights the importance of the 2020 Census and drives people to take action and ensure they get counted. With many people staying home due to the coronavirus, it’s never been easier to complete the census online, by phone or by returning the form individuals and families receive in the mail.
“Mrs. Obama often talks about giving away our vote as giving away our power. Another way we can give away our power is by not being represented in the census, and we are determined to inspire often forgotten communities not to give their power away,” said When We All Vote Managing Director of Culture and Communications Stephanie Young.
Data collected in the 2020 Census will be used for the next 10 years as the basis for drawing electoral districts and distributing over $700 billion federal dollars among communities for education, health care, law enforcement, local infrastructure and more.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
TOM HANKS: The 2020 Census could be the most important in our lifetimes.
TOM HANKS: The 2020 Census could be the most important in our lifetimes.
JANELLE MONÁE: It will decide how over 650 billion dollars-
LIZA KOSHY: are distributed to local communities across the country. That includes where money is distributed for things like health care, public schools and food stamps.
SELENA GOMEZ: It’s safe, it’s easy and it’s important.
FAITH HILL: The census affects us all.
MEGAN RAPINOE: Taking a few minutes to be counted can help your community for a decade.
JANELLE MONÁE: So be seen,-
LIZA KOSHY: be heard,-
FAITH HILL: be counted-
SELENA GOMEZ: for lasting change.
JANELLE MONÁE: It makes a difference.
TOM HANKS: It makes a difference.
LIZA KOSHY: It makes a difference!
ABOUT When We All Vote:
When We All Vote is a national, nonpartisan, non-profit that brings together citizens, institutions, brands, and organizations to increase participation in every election. We are committed to closing the race and age voting gap and empowering all eligible voters to cast their ballot by harnessing grassroots energy, establishing strategic partnerships, and implementing digital organizing strategies.
Launched in 2018 by co-chairs Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Faith Hill, and Tim McGraw, When We All Vote is changing the culture around voting using a data-driven and multifaceted approach to increase participation in elections.
In the months directly before the 2018 midterm elections, When We All Vote organized 2,500 local voter registration events across the country, engaged 200 million Americans online about the significance of voting, and texted nearly four million voters the resources to register and get out to vote.
In 2019, When We All Vote announced its new celebrity co-chairs and media partners who will help to reach people where they are and ultimately change the culture around voting.
ABOUT ATTN:
ATTN: is a media company that entertains and informs. We are leaders when it comes to breaking down important societal topics across all platforms and reaching people who want context on the issues and conversations that matter to them.
ABOUT Census Counts:
Census Counts — which is housed at The Leadership Conference Education Fund — is a nationwide campaign working to ensure hard-to-count communities aren’t missed in the 2020 Census, through education, training, organizing, and outreach. There are three main prongs:
- The national Get Out the Count (GOTC) coalition
- The States Count Action Network
- Census Champions: a network of elected officials and library trustees working to ensure a fair and accurate count
Our organizations include people and networks who live and work in the communities most at risk of being missed in the 2020 Census. As trusted national and local messengers, Census Counts organizations are able to communicate the facts and importance of the census, provide resources to facilitate participation, and address community members’ concerns.
This includes training and educating people and community leaders about the 2020 Census, translating materials into languages the U.S Census Bureau will not, and monitoring Bureau activities to ensure they are best serving hard-to-count populations.