Wednesday is Census Day in Utah and if you haven’t been counted in the 2020 Census– it’s not too late, but time is running out.
Census Day is the day that determines who has been counted for the census that is held only every 10 years. If you haven’t been counted, then go online to 2020census.gov and do it. It’s simple and quick and it’s important, as the census numbers determine how many seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives. There are also hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds that are allocated by local, state, and federal lawmakers to communities for public services and infrastructure, like hospitals, schools, and emergency services over the next 10 years.
40.6% of households in Utah have responded to the 2020 Census since invitations began arriving in mailboxes last month. This compares to 36.2% who have responded nationally.
If you didn’t get something in the mail, you can still respond by going online, using a desktop computer, a laptop, smartphone or a tablet. You can respond online or by phone in English or 12 other languages. Doing this will save a census taker from having to be dispatched, which is important given the COVID-19 pandemic now underway.
Post office box holders did not receive census forms. The post office says they couldn’t deliver them to the thousands of box holders in Park City because they must be delivered to a physical address.
When you respond, include everyone who lives or sleeps in in your home as of April 1st, even if they’re staying somewhere else temporarily. This includes relatives, friends, roommates and even children and babies born on or before April 1.
Count any college students where they live while attending school. If they live on campus in college housing, they will be counted by school officials and you don’t need to respond. However, if they live off campus in private housing, they should respond to the census using their off-campus address.
Let your social networks now the importance of responding ot the census and encourage them to complete theirs. Households that have not responded online or by phone will receive a paper questionnaire next week.
Census field operations are suspended until April 15th due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
For more information go to 2020census.gov
or call 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish)
