AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine officials say they won’t give driver’s license and state identification card information, including citizenship status, to federal officials seeking to include it in the 2020 Census.
The Portland Press Herald reports state officials denied the Census Bureau’s request in late September.
The bureau said it was seeking the information to increase census accuracy. All 50 states received the request.
Patty Morneault, the deputy secretary of state for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, told census officials Maine doesn’t provide bulk data that includes personally identifying information and lacks the capacity for the monthly reports requested.
Morneault says the decision adhered to Maine law “and the sacred trust of the citizens of Maine.”
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a specific question regarding citizenship can’t be included in the 2020 Census questionnaire.
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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
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