Inside208

Census Deadlines Extended; Here are Things You Can Do to Help Get People Counted

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Dene Westbrook

The Michigan Municipal League has a new Census Toolkit for community leaders now that the deadline to fill out the Census has been moved to the end of October due to the coronavirus pandemic. The toolkit offers numerous suggestions and ideas on helping your communities get the most accurate Census counts possible.

The U.S. Census Bureau has extended the census data collection through October 31st and field operations are now scheduled to resume June 1st.

Michigan, when compared to the other states, currently ranks third in the nation of the Census response rate so far, but we still have a long way to go. Click here to see your community’s response rate and how it compares to the 2010 response rate. And click here to see how your community compares to others.

Here are some suggested steps of action you can take this week:

Tuesday, April 14: Call, email or text 20 friends or family encourage to complete the form and host a Zoom Happy Hour or Coffee hour – invite friends to talk about the importance of the census & complete forms.

Wednesday, April 15: Write a letter to your local newspaper

Thursday, April 16: Call or email your neighbors/neighborhood association

Friday, April 17: Join a virtual townhall, visit www.facebook.com/micensus

Saturday, April 18: Post on social media that you completed the census form, challenge 10 friends (and tag them) on social media platforms.

Sunday, April 19: Bring those federal tax dollars back to support our communities. Volunteer for a virtual phone bank sign up.

Why is the Census so important? Well, getting an accurate count has a huge impact on your community, Census data determines how more than $675 billion of federal funds are spent. These funds support your county and community’s vital programs. In 2016, Michigan received $29 billion through 55 federal spending programs guided by data derived from the 2010 Census.

For every resident not counted, Michigan stands to lose an estimated $3,000 per person per year in federal funds. That adds up quickly.

If you didn’t get your 9-question Census form in the mail, you can go online and fill it out at www.my2020census.gov.

So, please fill out the Census if you haven’t already. And if you have filled it out please encourage your family and friends to do so!! Thanks!

And again, be sure to check out the updated Census toolkit the League has created online here.

Locations
Headquarters
1675 Green Road,
Ann Arbor MI 48105
 
Capitol Office
208 N. Capitol Ave.,
1st Floor Lansing, MI 48933
©2022 Michigan Municipal League LLC. All rights reserved