Chicago Mayor Deploys ‘Census Cowboy’ to Increase Turnout, in Strange Scene: ‘Time to Go Giddy’


The city of Chicago has been shaded by the coronavirus pandemic and increased violence. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot is calling a hero to tackle a different problem: low response rates for the US Census.

Enter the census cowboy.

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During an unusual press conference Monday, Lightfoot said that a simple way to bring more resources to communities in need is for people to complete that survey. To that end, he introduced the Census Cowboy, who will ride horses in the 10 communities in the city with the lowest response rate, in an effort to get more people to complete the census and be counted.

“As a child, I loved the Batman television show. And, when Gotham City had a really tough challenge, one of the things the mayor did there was call and send a distress signal to Batman, ”Lightfoot said. “So we are doing something similar for the census. And I’m happy to report that I’m calling the Cowboy Census. “

Lightfoot was quick to point out that the presence of the mounted wonder should not be celebrated, but rather serves as a warning that people are not fulfilling their responsibilities.

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“So if you see the cowboy census entering your neighborhood, that’s not a good thing,” he said. “That means you have to step forward and do your part and make sure you complete the census.”

So who is the hero Chicago needs? According to the Chicago Sun-Times, he is Adam Hollingsworth, 33, a former boxer who gained local notoriety when he rode his trusty steed to protest after the death of George Floyd. Back then, he was known as the “Dread Head Cowboy”.

MINNEAPOLIS, USA - MAY 27: Adam Hollingsworth sits on his Prince horse on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, during the second day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  (Photo by Steel Brooks / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, USA – MAY 27: Adam Hollingsworth sits on his Prince horse on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, during the second day of protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Photo by Steel Brooks / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Lightfoot has set a goal of 75 percent census participation for their city. At the last census in 2010, they were 66 percent, and so far, some neighborhoods in Chicago are below 40 percent. Lightfoot hopes that greater participation will result in greater resources for these neighborhoods, some of which were devastated by the looting and violence that arose from the George Floyd protests.

This is just one approach that the mayor has taken in hopes of encouraging greater participation. The home page of the city census website promotes a “Census Challenge,” in which the room with the highest turnout increases wins ice cream delivery for neighborhood children.

So far, the ice cream incentive doesn’t seem to be working. The site notes that the statistics will be released July 7-17, but so far the neighborhood with the highest turnout has a response rate of less than 1 percent.

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Perhaps the cowboy census can provide further inspiration.

“[I]It’s time to get dizzy, ”said Lightfoot. Let’s do this Chicago. Let’s make the census cowboy proud.