Domicile and Insurance

[Sehc]

The census count is important to the state as federal dollars and representation are related to population. At the same time the counties  want to control their voting lists. I can't see why Florida would care about New York not collecting someones taxes. The feds want to know where your bed is located in geography, not if it is a vehicle or a building.

[Barbaraok]

No, Arizona doesn't consider us residents because we spend less than 7 months a year there.  We weren't staying extended winter months in 2010, when the last census was done.   Will we fill out our census forms listing Arizona next year, I suppose so if we are there on the Census day.  

And yes, the issue was being counted in a state you stopped for an overnight in while traveling.  During the first few years we moved at least every two weeks, if not sooner.  So we didn't have a place where we spent more time than any other place - listing a spot we stopped for the night deprives our 'hometown' of some federal funds.  Rather those funds (yes, I know, it will amount to pennies) go to a county that supports fulltimers than somewhere we were just passing though.

[Blues]

3 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

No, Arizona doesn't consider us residents because we spend less than 7 months a year there.  We weren't staying extended winter months in 2010, when the last census was done.   Will we fill out our census forms listing Arizona next year, I suppose so if we are there on the Census day. 

But it doesn't matter where you're considered a legal resident--it's the place where you live and sleep most of the time, or more than anywhere else.  It sounds to me like for census purposes, Arizona would be considered your "usual residence" even if you're not there on Census Day. 

 

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And yes, the issue was being counted in a state you stopped for an overnight in while traveling.  During the first few years we moved at least every two weeks, if not sooner.  So we didn't have a place where we spent more time than any other place - listing a spot we stopped for the night deprives our 'hometown' of some federal funds.  Rather those funds (yes, I know, it will amount to pennies) go to a county that supports fulltimers than somewhere we were just passing though.

That's no doubt what you'd prefer, but that's not how rules work, and I'm a little concerned that Escapees apparently promoted a similar view, in contravention of what the census rules I was able to locate provide.

 

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If I vote in district #36, then I damn well want my presence in district #36 counted.

And the rules specifically say that voting address isn't determinative, no matter how much you think it should be.

I agree with you that fulltimers are often square pegs when it comes to some issues, but this doesn't appear to be one of them, since it's all location based--where you spend most of your time, or alternatively, where you are on that day. 

 

[SnowGypsy]

I'm going to ask Escapees headquarters to look at this thread and explain to me exactly what is going on.  I am hoping that they will clarify what they are doing and under what authority they are doing it when it comes to the Census.  Now, there is a community census (it is nosy thing asking a lot of questions that aren't any of their business and I made complaints to my congress people on that one) which is entirely different than the actual Census which was last completed in 2010, almost time again for that one.  I have encountered the people taking the census a few times, and I don't always answer the door for strangers.

[Dutch_12078]

Except for the rare few that are physically interviewed, you're counted based on your answers to the questions on the form. Escapees notifies their mail service users when the forms arrive and forwards them as instructed by the subscriber. Escapees has no input regarding where you're counted, nor does any other mail forwarding service.

[Georgianne]

I shared the discussion here with our CEO, Shawn Loring, who leads our advocacy efforts, among many other things. From what he shared with me below, he and others in our leadership are trying to work with the local Census administrator to determine the best way to approach this situation honestly and with accuracy.

The response below is from Shawn:

"Please know we maintain that our members are establishing a domicile, not a residence, when they use our mail forwarding service to connect with an area. The rules of the 2020 Census discussed in this forum allude to a residence—where one sleeps at night. Establishing and maintaining domicile requires active engagement with a chosen county/community. And, when one establishes and maintains a proper domicile, we contend that they should be counted, in the census, in that area. We are attempting to contact the local 2020 Census administrator to have our members’ counted."

[SnowGypsy]

From the Office of the Federal Register:

Census Bureau Response: For the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will retain the proposed residence situation guidance for people in transitory locations (Section C.18). Sufficient guidance for people in transitory locations, including those living in recreational vehicles, is provided in Section C.18. Comments on transitory locations not addressed in this section were considered out of scope for this document.

This is Section C.18:

People at transitory locations such as recreational vehicle (RV) parks, campgrounds, hotels and motels, hostels, marinas, racetracks, circuses, or carnivals—Anyone, including staff members, staying at the transitory location is counted at the residence where they live and sleep most of the time. If they do not have a usual home elsewhere, or they cannot determine a place where they live most of the time, they are counted at the transitory location.

 

[Blues]

On 7/3/2019 at 9:45 AM, Georgianne said:

And, when one establishes and maintains a proper domicile, we contend that they should be counted, in the census, in that area. We are attempting to contact the local 2020 Census administrator to have our members’ counted."

Upthread, Barbaraok said, "As I remember,  Escapees sent out information about the census several weeks ahead of time and then we were notified when forms were received in Livingston so we could get them forwarded to us."  

What information did Escapees send out about the census in 2010? 

[Barbaraok]

They sent out notices that they would forward the forms, until the local Census office told them they couldn't be forwarded.  At that point Escapees sent out notices that they couldn't forward the forms and how each of us could locate blank forms (usually at libraries, etc.) and how to fill them out and send them in, which is what we did.

[Dutch_12078]

I wonder if the local census office knew the difference between "forwarding mail", which Escapees actually doesn't do within the USPS definition, and "remailing", which is what Escapees actually does? I don't use the Escapees mail service, but I do know my remailer has no problem sending me mail that's labeled "Do Not Forward" under a separate cover...