Everyone Must be Counted to Determine Funding for Human Services; Political Representation
Silver City -- The 2020 U.S. Census process has begun, and by April 1, "Census Day," households throughout the country should have received a mailing from the U.S. Census Bureau with instructions explaining how to complete the census process. Each household is required to complete a brief questionnaire which asks basic questions about each individual living at that address. It is very important that every person be counted, and all information is strictly confidential, so even if a household doesn't receive a mailing from the Census Bureau, they can still complete the process online.
Members of the Grant County "Complete Count" Committee urge all residents to complete the questionnaire, so that every single person in Grant County - including babies, children and undocumented immigrants - are counted.
"I can't stress enough how important it is that every household - every person - participates," says Complete Count Committee Co-Chairman Mischa Larisch. "Not just because it's required by law, but because so many vital services that people depend on every day are funded by federal dollars, which are allocated according to population totals. That's why it's so critical that we get an accurate count of who's living in Grant County."
There are two ways to respond to the census and be counted. Respondents may complete a paper questionnaire and mail it in the postage-paid envelope provided, or complete the questionnaire online at www.my2020census.gov. For assistance, call the toll-free help line at (844) 330-2020. Complete Count Committee members are also providing moveable kiosks and staffed census computer stations at public offices and some HMS health clinics throughout the county to help make it easy for residents to complete the census process.
Larisch also encourages everyone to help spread the word and get everyone to participate in the 2020 Census by using social media and other networks to be sure that friends, family and neighbors are counted.
All information collected is strictly confidential and protected by law. The Census Bureau will never share personal information with any other government agencies, law enforcement, or with Immigration Enforcement Services (ICE). Census workers take an oath to protect an individual's personal information for life.
Census workers are currently being trained to verify housing units, and will soon be canvassing the county updating existing housing data and leaving census questionnaires at every household. Homeless persons will be counted from March 30 through April 1. Beginning in May, census workers will begin visiting those households that have not yet responded to help residents complete the questionnaire. The census count ends July 31, 2020.
The U.S. Constitution requires that every individual and housing unit be counted every 10 years, and everyone is required by law to respond. The count is used to determine how some $675 billion in federal funding is allocated to vital human services, such as housing, hospitals and health care, food assistance, fire service, road improvements and many other programs. Census data also determine how many Congressional representatives each state gets, as well as how Congressional and state legislative districts are drawn.
Historically, New Mexico's population has been undercounted in the census process, in part due to its vast, remote rural areas. In 2010, New Mexico's response rate was the second lowest in the country, and some two percent of the population went missing in the 2000 census. Ultimately that means that New Mexico and local governments throughout the state received less money than they could have across a variety of federally funded programs. The 2020 Census is the 24th U.S. Census since it began in 1790.
For more information about where to find assistance to complete the census in Grant County, please visit GrantCountyCensus.com. For general information about the U.S. Census Bureau and the 2020 Census, please visit www.my2020census.gov.