Census Count 2020
You’ve likely seen it mentioned on social media or maybe you received a notice in the mail, but do you know why it’s crucial to make sure you’re counted in the 2020 Census? The count is taken every 10 years in the United States. Two major decisions are made based on Census data:
-How much federal funding is sent to each community over the next DECADE. Funding includes money for hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads and more.
-The number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The census data is used by lawmakers, business owners, teachers and many others to provide daily services, products and support for you and your community. If you don’t fill out the census, you could be taking away some of those daily services along with your state’s funding and political power. It only takes a few minutes to fill out the census, but it can impact your community for YEARS. Filling out the Census has never been easier. You can do it by mail, phone or online. Since many of us are already stuck at home, without much to do, take a few moments to fill out the census by visiting my2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020.
One of the best things about the census? Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Never heard of it? Me neither, until I was doing research for this article. The Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code to keep your information confidential. While the collective data is used to distribute funding and all the other benefits listed above, the personal information you give can NOT be shared with any other government agency, law enforcement or landlord. No one. Major Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon can’t promise you that and millions of people use their services everyday. It’s refreshing that the census not only benefits you and your community, it also is committed to keeping your personal information safe. The deadline to fill out the census has been moved up from the end of October, to September 30th. However, we are still only halfway through August so there is still time to make sure you’re counted in this year’s Census.
