Using Digital Tools for the 2020 Census
How CommunityConnect Labs is Helping to Step Up GOTC Efforts
By Raima Roy, with images provided by CommunityConnect Labs
With the 2020 Census less than a year away, community organizations have begun to ramp up their get out the count (GOTC) efforts around the country. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC recently hosted a webinar with CommunityConnect Labs to discuss exciting digital tools they are developing to help organizations on the ground with their GOTC efforts.
CommunityConnect Labs has built strategies for educating, motivating, and activating hard-to-count communities. These strategies help to:
· Establish a local network of multilingual in-person and virtual “assistance centers”
· Amplify recruitment efforts and workforce development for job candidates
· Create a coordinated, consistent, multilingual marketing campaign
· Deploy boots-on-ground outreach supported by continuous follow-up
· Identify and rapidly respond to misinformation campaigns
Here are the tools CommunityConnect Labs has developed for census efforts thus far:
Census outreach technology tools developed by CommunityConnect Labs have been developed with input and feedback from the U.S. Census Bureau. Benefits of the digital tools include:
· Available in over 200 languages
· Accessible on any mobile phone via SMS: no need to download an app
· Available in Facebook Messenger, Line, WeChat, and other community messaging apps
· One-touch messaging through local phone numbers and tailored local messaging from multiple organizations
· Robust reporting with potential integration into existing platforms
A primary role of counties and community-based organizations is to line up local resources and encourage people to access the applications while the platform takes care of the rest.
Using these resources is an efficient way to mobilize GOTC efforts on the ground, recruit more field staff, and combat misinformation quickly.
To find out more on CommunityConnect Labs’ census efforts, their digital tools, and other information regarding the census, go to censusoutreach.org.
Raima Roy is the Program Associate for Census and Civic Engagement at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC.
