by Jane Sisk
You may recall this video we shared in worship on Sunday March 29 from the Tacoma Refugee Choir:
The US Census, performed every 10 years, is a head count of every single person living in the United States. Your help is needed to make sure everyone is counted. At stake in Washington state are how many members of Congress we have for the next 10 years and billions of dollars to fund over 300 programs. We cannot afford to miss counting anyone in this Census, especially historically under-counted communities of color, immigrants, tribes, rural areas, and young children. Faith Action Network often says that governmental budgets are moral documents. In this case, the data to inform budgets and allocation of federal resources have moral implications, too! Every person who is missed amounts to $4,000 taken away from our communities, so your household’s participation is vital.
Take this time to complete your 2020 Census questionnaire if you haven’t already. There are 3 ways that you can ensure every person who was living in your household on April 1st is counted:
- Online. Get started online at 2020census.gov
- By phone. Call 844-330-2020 for English, 844-468-2020 for Spanish. You can complete the Census by phone in 14 languages or TDD. Phone numbers are here: 2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-by-phone.html
- By mail. Some people will automatically get a Census form in the mail to complete by hand. Later, if you haven’t responded online or by phone, you will also receive a form in the mail.
There is no citizenship question on the 2020 Census. According to law, the results may not go to law enforcement, ICE, or your landlord; the results are safe and secure. For more information on the questions or anything else, see https://2020census.gov/. Thanks for making sure that we all count!