Attorney General Lisa Madigan, along with 17 other attorneys general, six cities and the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors, this week filed a lawsuit to block the federal administration from demanding citizenship information in the 2020 decennial Census. Demanding citizenship information would depress Census turnout in states with large immigrant populations, directly threatening the states’ fair representation in Congress and the Electoral College, as well as billions of dollars in critical federal funds, including funding for education, infrastructure and Medicaid. “The Census is a fundamental part of our democracy, and we must encourage every person living in our country to participate, not put up barriers that prevent people from being counted,” Madigan said. “I am filing this lawsuit to ensure that immigrants in Illinois are represented fairly and accurately.” On December 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice requested that the Census Bureau demand citizenship information in the 2020 census form sent to every household in the country, even though the purpose of the Census is to count every person – citizens and non-citizens alike. The Justice Department argued that the collection of such information was necessary to ensure proper enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But, as Madigan and a coalition of other attorneys general argued in a letter sent to the Commerce Secretary in February, the demand would have precisely the opposite effect by driving down participation in immigrant communities, a concern that is more acute in today’s political climate.