Counting each person in the 2020 US Census will be impetrative to Washington County in the coming years at it attempts to continue the maintenance and repair of roads and bridges, provide education opportunities, apply for grants, attract business and grow the economy and have a voice in the House of Representatives an and at the local level.
Chauncy Wright, partnership specialist with the US Census Bureau, spoke to the Washington County Board of Supervisors about encouraging participation in the census.
“The 20202 Census is coming and it is very, very important,” Wright said. “It is mandated by the US Constitution. A lot of big things – reapportionment and the redistribution of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is based on changes in population – depend on the census.”
Changes to population are recorded by the U.S. Census, which is conducted every 10 years. .Redistricting happens after reapportionment, so that each district has roughly the same number of people.
“Those numbers roll down to state level for redistricting and a lot of districts will be affected,” Wright said. “From city councils, county boards, school boards and others will be affected.
“There is a lot of money on the table,” Wright continued. “$675 billion is available each year to municipalities and local governing bodies which are eligible to apply for those dollars. These funds affect road repairs, HeadStart, hospitals, all kinds of stuff.”
Wright said people in the community need to be aware the census is vital.
“People in every community need to know it is coming and the importance of completing the questionnaire,” he said before asking the board to commit to placing an emphasis on assisting through a complete counting committee.
“We are going to make the same request of local governments in the district, the faith based community, the education community, and others. “We can provide speakers, materials and support, but we need the community to commit to putting a plan together so everyone is counted.”
Wright said census jobs would also become available soon with training beginning in mid-July.
“We want our census to be the best. In the 2000 census, we lost a representative. In 2010 we maintained. We don’t want to lose another seat in the house because we failed to have a complete census.”
Wright said the response rate to the 2000 census was 68% and fell to 64% in 2010.
“There are some areas in the county that have been designated hard to count areas. and we need to increase awareness,” Wright said, noting hard to count areas are designated as a result of a high number of single family homes, high crime and other socioeconomic factors.
“Every one that is not counted equates to funds the community misses out on,” Wright said. “If there was a half million dollars sitting on the table for this community and all we had to do was encourage, and make people aware of the census, then that would be a good incentive to get that money off the table and into your budgets. Well, that is what we are looking at.”
In 2020 three options to report the census are available via internet, mail and phone.
Complete Count Committees
The 2020 Census provides an opportunity for everyone to be counted. Tribal, state, and local governments; community based organizations; faith-based groups; schools; businesses; the media; and others play a key role in developing partners to educate and motivate residents to participate in the 2020 Census.
According to the US Census website, when community members are informed, they are more likely to respond to the census. Through collaborative partnerships, the U.S. Census Bureau and community leaders can reach the shared goal of counting everyone in 2020.
The Complete Count Committees (CCC) program is key to creating awareness in communities all across the country.
CCCs utilize local knowledge, influence, and resources to educate communities and promote the census through locally based, targeted outreach efforts.
CCCs provide a vehicle for coordinating and nurturing cooperative efforts between tribal, state, and local governments; communities; and the Census Bureau.
CCCs help the Census Bureau get a complete count in 2020 through partnerships with local governments and community organizations.
