As of last Thursday, July 16, 2020, only 46.2% of City of Vidor residents have completed and returned their 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaire. This compares with 51.1% of all Orange County residents who have completed the 2020 U.S. Census and 57% of all Texans who have completed their 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaire.
Because of the Coronavirus stay at home orders from the Texas Governor and the Orange County Judge imposed at the end of March of this year, the U.S. Census Bureau was forced to readjust their deadlines for completing the 2020 U.S. Census.
Before the lockdown, the U.S. Census Bureau planned to begin the self-response phase for 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaires on March 12, 2020 and end the self-response rate on July 31, 2020. The U.S. Census Bureau has revised that scheduled self-response schedule to end on October 31, 2020.
That means that if you haven’t responded to your 2020 U.S. Census invitation to go on-line and complete your 2020 Census Questionnaire, you still have time to do so. The way you do that is to go on-line immediately to www.my2020census. gov and use the Census ID code printed in a box on the front page of your invitation to begin the quick and easy process of completing your 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaire.
If you’ve lost your Census ID Code then you can still respond online without your Census ID Code. Visit the online form at www. my2020census.gov and select “Start Questionnaire.” Below the ID field, choose the link that says, “If you do not have a Census ID, click here.”
Once you get to the 2020 Census on-line Questionnaire, you will be asked simple straightforward questions like How many people were living or staying in house house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2020? Were there any additional people staying here on April 1, 2020, that you did not include in Question 1?
The reason for answering questions #1 and #2 of the 2020 U.S. Census, is because the goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone just once and in the right place. They want to ensure that everyone in your home who should be counted is counted— including newborns, roommates, and those who may be staying with you temporarily.
Then the 2020 U.S. Census will ask you about whether your home is owned, rented, or occupied without any payment or rent. Why do they ask that? Because, the 2020 U.S. Census will be used to produce statistics about homeownership and renting. Why? Because, the rates of homeownership serve as an indicator of the State and nation’s economy. The answers to this question also helps federal and state agencies in their administration of housing programs, planning and decision making.
The 2020 U.S. Census will ask you for your telephone number. Why do they ask that? The Census Bureau asks for your phone number in case there are any questions about your census form. They will only contact you for official census business, if needed.
For each person, that you counted in question #1, the 2020 U.S. Census will ask you for the name, gender, age and date of birth of those persons. And whether each person is of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin, the race of each person and how each person is related to you.
Why do they want to know if a person is of Hispanic heritage? Because those responses help create statistics about this ethnic group. This helps federal agencies monitor compliance with anti-discrimination provisions, such as those in the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. The same reason applies to the question about race.
The 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaire wants to know how persons, other than yourself, that you list on your 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaire, are related to you? The answers you give for this question allows the Census Bureau to develop data about families, households, and other groups. Relationship data is used in planning and funding government programs that support families, including people raising children alone.
As you can see, there is nothing really ominous or threatening to you or your family on the 2020 U.S. Census Questionnaire.
Why is it important for you to fill this thing out? The 2020 Census will determine your congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.
How? The 2020 Census will provide a snapshot of our nation—who we are, where we live, and so much more.
The results of this once-a-decade count determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives. They are also used to draw congressional and state legislative districts. Over the next decade, lawmakers, business owners, and many others will use 2020 Census data to make critical decisions. The results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children. The results will also inform how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.
But most importantly, The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. In fact, every employee takes an oath to protect your personal information for life.
The Census Bureau is bound by federal law to keep your information confidential.
This law protects your answers to the 2020 Census. Under Title 13, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. The law ensures that your private data is protected and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. Violating Title 13 is a federal crime, punishable by prison time and/or a fine of up to $250,000.
The answers you provide are used only to produce statistics. You are kept anonymous: The Census Bureau is not permitted to publicly release your responses in any way that could identify you or anyone else in your home.
You are protected, your family is protected and your answers are protected. So, go online tonight to www.my2020census.gov and complete your U.S. 2020 Census. It could mean more money for your community and better representation for you and your family in the U.S. Congress. Do it today.