Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 126 of 202 From: Christopher 3 Stanley FED) To: Steven Diliinaham Mohammad Ahmad FED): Michael John Sprunu FED): Steven Smith (CENSUSIDEPDIR Deborah Stempowski FED): Kathleen Styles James Whitehorne (CENSUSIADDC FED): Aian Land Fernando Timothy Oison FED) Subject: memo for call with Rep. Raskin Date: Monday, April 27, 2020 7:19:46 PM Attachments: Rep. Raskin?Memo 4.27.2020 draftl (lidocx Attached is a draft memo. recommend that the director open and briefly cover the current situation and the response rate and recruiting in his district, and summaries are in the memo. After that, I recommend that Fernando gives a brief update on work Eocally, and then we discuss whatever he wants. The possible are included, including PO boxes and top?Ievei information on restricting and a few other issues. Deb, Ai taiked to me a few minutes on PO boxes after he discussed with you. Please make sure I summarized correctly. James, summarized from the spreadsheet you compiled on the redistricting process in the states. the bottom line is that Maryland should not have have a major issue to overcome with a delay in the delivery ofthe redistricting files. Please iet me know if you need anything eise. Sent: Monday, April 27, 2020 5:04 PM To: Steven Diilingham FED) Ali Mohammad Ahmad FED) ChristopherJ Stanley FED) Michael John Sprung FED) Steven Smith FED) Deborah Stempowski FED) Kathleen Styles FED) James Whitehorne FED) Alan Lang FED) Fernando FED) Timothy Olson FED) Subject: Raskin Prebrief When: Tuesday, April 28, 2020 10:00?10:30. Where: Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 127 of 202 Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 128 of 202 Call with Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-OS) Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2020 Time: 11:45 am? 12:15 pm Conference Line: HQ Participants: Director Dillingham; Tim Olson, Associate Director of Field Operations; Fernando Regional Director; Deb Stempowski, Assistant Director of Decennial Programs; Ali Ahmad, Associate Director ofCommunications; Kathleen Styles, Chief, Decennial Communications and Stakeholder Relationships; and James Whitehorne, Chief, Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office. Audience: Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-OS). Candyce Phoenix, the staff director of his subcommittee, will also likely be on the call. He chairs the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which has jurisdiction over the census. We offered this call after the announcement of the adjusted schedule. Situational Awareness: Montgomery County, which represents the largest portion of Rep. Raskin?s congressional district, was among the first counties in Maryland to be impacted by COVID- 19 and currently has the second highest number of reported cases in the state at 3,843 as of April 26, 2020 HYPERLINK Previous engagements: You did a driving tour of Maryland?s 8th Congressional District on July 5, 2019. On July 7, 2019, Fernando Philadelphia Regional Director, participated in a meeting with Rep. Raskin?s staff, members of three complete count committees and local municipal leaders in the Raskin?s district. Fernando was also in another productive meeting with Rep. Raskin on February 10. Suggested Agenda for the call 0 Assuming he does not jump right in with his own questions, I suggest that Director Dillingham opens. 0 We do not need to give him a full run down, as he heard all that during Friday?s brie?ng. 0 Talking points for a short opening are below. 0 After opening, ask Fernando to give an update on locally that he did not get during the general brie?ng for the committee. 0 If Tim has anything to add to Fernando?s update, he can go next. 0 Then we can have a discussion and take his questions. 0 Deb, James, Kathleen, and Ali likely do not need to present at the beginning of the meeting, but they will be available for details on his questions. Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 129 of 202 Opening 0 The Census Bureau?s 10 years of planning has paid off. We have been well?prepared to execute our plan. 0 But, as we discussed on Friday, the unexpected public health crisis of this terrible pandemic brought all our lives and our economy to a sudden halt. 0 We must now fully prepare for recovery and a resumption of our work. 0 As communities and states prepare to phase in safe recoveries, so must we. And our highest priority will be the health and safety of the American public and our employees. 0 The national plan contained guidelines for reopening the nation on a phased schedule as states meet objective milestones and epidemiological criteria. 0 Subsequent OMB and 0PM guidance issued on Monday, April 20, directs Federal agencies to align their work with the national plan to Open Up America Again, and we are working to do that. So far, response nationally and in Maryland is going well (as of 4/26/2020) 0 National Rate 53.4%, 79 million households 0 Maryland State?wide Rate 56.6% 0 Your area is trending above both the national and state response rates. 0 The 8th district as a whole: 64.3% 0 Montgomery County: 62.7% 0 Carroll County: 67.2% 0 Frederick County: 63.8% Recruiting in your district has been successful as well. 0 We expect to hire 490 and 770 in your district. 0 We have close to 6,000 applicants from the district. Now I would like to ask Fernando to give a brief update on work in the ground in your area. After Fernando we would be happy to discuss any other topic. Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 130 of 202 Possible Areas Served by PO Boxes NOTE: Deb can expand with more details if he asks about this. This is not about Update Leave being paused, as Maryland has no Update Leave areas. 0 There are small portions of certain areas where we ?nd that mail is not delivered to the housing location. 0 Normally, we do not mail to PO boxes, because the census has to be tied to locations where people live. 0 In previous censuses, census takers would enumerate those households during the non? response followup work. 0 Given the extended time we will have for self response, we are planning a supplemental mailing to those areas that should be delivered to the post office of?ces and still be associated with the housing locations. Redistricting Background Maryland does not appear to have an immediate problem with the shifted deadline. The Maryland constitution lays out the process this way: ?The Governor shall present the plan to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Delegates who shall introduce the Governor's plan as a joint resolution to the General Assembly, not later than the ?rst day of its regular session in the second year following every census, and the Governor may call a special session for the presentation of his plan prior to the regular session.? That ?not later than? date would be in January 2022. i?iovv is redistricting affected? a The announced schedule is that we will complete delivery to the states by July 3 l, 202i. is The Census Bureau recognizes that a delay may cause issues for states. Each state is unique in the timing, mechanics, and statutory oasis for their redistricting activities. Some states redistrict through commissions, some through their legislative bodies, some provisions are in state statutes, others in constitutions. a "this means each state will have to evaluate its specific statutory and constitutional requirements to adapt to this delay. Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 131 of 202 We announced this necessary scheduie change as eariy as possihie to provide states the maximum possi?hie time to adapt their iocai processes. The Census Bureau continue to tools for actions it can take to reduce the impact of this change on the states. Whit can7t you data otter August in and deiirer apportionment counts or redistricting data on time? Post processing activities must, by their nature, occur in a consecutive sequence, and quality assurance needs to be performed at each step of the process. It is important to note post processing cannot begin in earnest until all in??eld work is completed. We have examined our schedule and compressed it as much as we can without risking signi?cant impacts on data quality. Given the important uses of census data collection processing, it is vital that we not short out these efforts or quality assurance steps. Key steps include: Compiling responses from multiple sources internet response, phone response, paper response, and specialized operations (Group Quarters, Service Based Enumeration, etc.) Addressing duplicate responses. Calculate the counts and conduct the statutory apportionment calculation and then deliver those numbers to the President. Additional processing of the characteristic data about respondents, including statistical techniques to account for missing or con?icting characteristic data. Conducting modern disclosure avoidance to honor our statutory requirement to protect each individual confidential information. Tabulating redistricting data and releasing it to states. Rigorous testing and quality assurance checks at every step. {Jan sea remstart seine operations hetero (tune? ?the nationai pian contained guidelines for reopening the nation on a phased scheduie as states meet objective and epideinioiogical criteria. Suhsequent (EMS and 0PM guidance issued on Monday directs Federal agencies to aiign their work with the national. pian to Ctpen Up America Again. We are carefuiiy considering what we might he ahle to open sooner, in light of the E?resident?s gnideiines for phases of reopening. if some states can. safely open. in. the coming weeks, there are some of our operations that we couid consider starting eariier than tune i. Case Document 198-7 Filed 09/22/20 Page 132 of 202 We ce'uid eunsider heginning nur Update Leave nperatien in these states. ?that eperatien has rninirnai innpersen eentaet, as the ernpieyees weuid he hand delivering packets to invite the henseheid tn respense, net cendueting interviews. {if eeurser we want in get eur staff hank: tn weds. as seen as it is safe te de so. We centinue tn fatten] the must current guidance from health et?tieiala inciuding the CDC and state and. tecai autherities. What ahnnt hersenat Preteetise haninnient? "the Census Bureau is eieseiy eenrdinating the aequisitien at? needed PPE inateriais fer tieid and efiiee staff thruugh the Eepartn?ient at? Curenavirus Federai partners inelude the Department et?iinineiand Security and the Centers Disease Central. We have generated and suhrnitted estintates fer equipment needs. {in Aprii i5. 202th the Agency?s inteinai tasis; three that and diseussed eur estimates needed equipment, petentiai delivery dates? and trudget irnplieatiens. We eentinue te manner the situatien and make adjustments as necessary. What shunt students? We are eninnrunieating with eel?ieges. universities, and students shunt haw students sheuid he shunted and sending; reminder letters to ceiiege adrninistraters with interrnatien, and we have distributed a heiptul widen tn explain it piainiy. in generai. students train ee?iieges and universities ternpurariiy elesed due tn the l9 Vitus sheuid he eeunted at their usuai residence, even it they are staying semen/here else during the ciesure. That tneans their reguiar residence White the eullege is epen shuuid he the ieeatien fer their eensus respense. ii: ASKED, Witheut requesting iegisiatien, we detiniteiy ean W?t?k with them an iegisiatien reiated te FERPA rent-test assistance, we have a: pruti?ess?ir tendered? assistance in deadening fegisfarive Is delaying the annertienment data constitutienal? The proposal underwent a constitutional review, and we believe it is constitutional and that the adjusted schedule will help us ful?ll the constitutional requirement of a complete and accurate census. The 12/31 deadline is in statute. In history? especially for the many of the earlier censuses, data collection and reporting the counts shifted beyond the zero year.