Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lucy Liu headline NY effort to maximize count in US Census

ALBANY — Lin-Manuel Miranda and Lucy Liu will be part of a $70 million state effort to maximize the count of New Yorkers in the U.S. Census with congressional representation and federal aid on the line.

“Representation matters and is vital for the fair allocation of federal funds to all of our communities,” said Miranda, writer and star of “Hamilton” in which the Founding Fathers rocked Broadway. “I encourage my neighbors to stand up and be counted and I hope that everyone across the nation will do the same. We’re at the start of a new decade and an accurate census makes a huge difference to all of us.”

Manuel, of New York City, is a co-chair of the state’s Census Council with actress Lucy Liu and civil rights activist Martin Luther King III.

“The census only happens every ten years, and it is essential we are doing all we can as a state to make sure every single New Yorker is counted and our state is fairly represented at the federal level,” said Liu, a television and film actor who was born in Queens.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said the state will use its “language line” where employees can translate more than 200 languages; will use its 96 Labor Department Career Centers and 100 job fairs to provide help in filling out census forms; and the State University of New York and City University of New York will encourage students complete census forms. Information will also be available at the state Department of Motor Vehicles offices statewide.

A census conference was held last week to plan how to reach immigrant and minority neighborhoods where residents have historically avoided participating in the census.

“New York is the capital of diversity, and during these difficult times, our state's voice is vital,” Cuomo said.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.