April 1, 2020 is “Census Day.” Soon, everyone will receive an invitation in the mail to complete the 2020 census. You’ll have three options to complete your census: through the mail, over the phone, or (for the first time ever) online. The Library plans to have extra computers available for anyone needing to fill out their census online.
Mayor Lees asked me to be part of Pryor’s “Complete Count Committee,” a volunteer group of community members to promote the census. Before being involved with this group, I knew the census was a constitutional obligation (Article 1, Section 2), but I did not realize how important complete census data is at the local level.
Not only are our House representatives appointed using census data, $675 billion is distributed based on this information. In fact, they estimate that for each person NOT counted in the census, their community loses $1,600 per year for 10 years. That adds up to a lot!
Businesses use this information to determine where they will locate, some funding for schools and libraries relies on it, and the federal government uses it to allocate funds for disaster relief. Plus, census information is vital for genealogical research.
I was relieved to learn that the census bureau does not share detailed information with any other governmental department. They don’t talk to HUD, they don’t talk to ICE, they don’t talk to the IRS. In fact, census workers are bound for life to keep that information confidential.
Like many things in today’s society, there are some scams to be aware of. The census will never ask you for your social security number, your banking information, or your political affiliations. The staff here at the Library is always happy to answer any questions you might have and you can check out census.gov for more information.