Censuses are by no means a new idea; they’re said to have been conducted in Egypt as early as 3340 BC.

Here in present day USA, the Census is used to allocate hundreds of billions in federal funding to local governments. More people in a certain area = a greater need for more public transportation, new roads and schools, and perhaps a few more seats in the House of Representatives for that state. That last one is actually mandated by the US constitution.

Stakes are high but that’s not stopping some citizens from boycotting the Census this time around. For months now, a few conservative activists have been encouraging people to not fill out or return theirs as a statement against big government.

A leader of the anti-Census movement, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), claims that the Census lays the groundwork for a “Big Brother” situation in Washington. “That's how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps," she told Fox News.

Not all Republicans agree with her. "Boycotting the constitutionally mandated Census is illogical, illegal and not in the best interest of our country," said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.).

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Via Huffington Post