Why You Need to Fill Out the Census (It only takes 5 minutes!)

What it is

The U.S. census is a short survey that every resident must take every 10 years for the purpose of recording population data.

Why it's important

Filling out the census is a form of civic engagement and participation, like voting.

The census…

1. impacts legislative representation & districting

Your state's population dictates the number of congressional representatives and electoral college electors that your state will get. (If you aren't sure what the electoral college is, check out my last post, "Exercise Your Right!") This is an extremely important reason to complete the census. If your state's population is undercounted, you won't get adequate representation in the House of Representatives. Additionally, redistricting--the redrawing of legislative boundaries--is done every ten years based on the census because people move over the decade.

2. helps determine federal funding allocation

In other words, it helps the government to decide what tax payer money will be put towards, including schools, roads, loans, Medicaid, and other public services.

3. is all about representation

The census is especially important for minorities to fill out because representation dictates funding. Experts say that racial minorities are projected to be undercounted.

How to do it

Online or by phone (13 languages are available)

--> Online: 2020census.gov -- it only took me 5 minutes!

--> Phone: 844-330-2020

Some more info

It does not ask you about citizenship status or anything income-related (so you don't have to go digging into tax returns--yess).

Fill it out according to where you would have been living on April 1st if COVID-19 didn't happen. If you would have been away from home at college off-campus, fill out your information accordingly. You don't need to complete the census if you were living on campus because your school should've taken care of it.

Help out your parents if they aren't good with technology. The census needs to be filled out for each household, so if your grandparents don't live in the same household, offer to help them too.

As of now, counting will end September 30, so make sure to do it by then. Heck, go do it right now!

Encourage and remind extended family members, friends, and neighbors to fill out the census.