Colorado has joined several other states and cities in a lawsuit trying to block the Trump administration from asking a citizenship question on the 2020 census.
“We have a responsibility to Colorado to see that every person is counted,” term-limited, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper said in a written statement Tuesday. “Our action seeks to ensure the census is being used for its intended purpose under the Constitution. An accurate census count protects federal funding and our representation in Congress.”
The governor’s office says 18 states, the District of Columbia and several cities and counties are also part of the legal action.
Hickenlooper’s move to add Colorado to the lawsuit comes in direct opposition to a position taken last month by Colorado’s Republican attorney general, Cynthia Coffman, to support the Trump administration’s move to add a citizenship question to the next census.
“The goal of the census is to produce as accurate a picture as possible of the makeup of our vast and diverse country so that all people that live within our borders can be appropriately represented,” Coffman said in a statement.
But Democrats have been arguing that a citizenship question could create fear among immigrant populations and discourage them from participating in the census which, among other concerns, could lead to an undercount.
Hickenlooper’s office argues that demanding citizenship information on the census would depress the response rate in Colorado and other states with large immigrant populations and potentially place at risk their representation in Congress and the Electoral College.
Jacque Montgomery, a spokeswoman for Hickenlooper, said Coffman’s office is not representing Colorado in the lawsuit.
Jacki Cooper Melmed, Hickenlooper’s chief legal counsel, has been appointed as a special assistant attorney general to represent the state in the case.
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