By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 6, 2020 | In a few days, between March 12-20, each household in the United States will receive a letter from the U.S. Census, asking all households to participate in the official head count as of April 1, 2020. The count will let us know how many people live in each city, county and state in the country. This Census, done every10 years since 1790, forms the basis to determine how many representatives each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, and also is used for drawing up Georgia Senate and House districts, plus county commission and school board districts.
You can see that the Census is super important. One question it will answer for every county in the country: how many people reside with its borders. Right now the 2018 estimated population by the Census for Gwinnett is 927,781 residents. We’ll go out on a limb and estimate that the official Census population of Gwinnett will come in around 952,000 people. We’ll get to know by March 31, 2021.
What the mail will soon bring from the Census will be a form that will have on it your distinct contact number for the Census. You can answer the Census questions online, by phone or by mail, using that special number given to your address.
When filling out the Census for your household, you need to count everyone who will be living with you on April 1. That includes any friends or family members who are regularly living and sleeping with you most of the time. If someone is staying with you on April 1, and has no regular home elsewhere, that person should be included in your response. Be sure to count all children within your house on that date, including foster children. Any baby born on or before April 1 should be counted, but count no baby born after April 2. Even military personnel who are deployed elsewhere temporarily should be counted at their usual home address in the USA.
Besides the counting of people in each area, how else is the Census important? The U.S. and Georgia government use the Census numbers to distribute funds for all causes. Each government wants to get its “fair share,” so it finds the Census important in what monies comes back to the individual government from Federal monies.
With as big an operation as the Census is, you can bet that there will be scams, fraud and other nefarious schemes trying to use the Census to benefit the crooks. Remember, the Census will only send you an invitation to participate in the count. The Census will not ask for your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card account, or for your email. And the Census will also not ask for money of any kind, nor contact you on behalf of a political candidate or party.
If you feel uneasy about someone contacting you about the Census, report this at 800-923-8282.
If someone appears at your door saying they are with the Census, check their Identification badge from the U.S. Department of Commerce, their photo, and the expiration date. If you still have questions, call the Census number (above.)
If you know of anyone unsure or who has questions about the Census, contact the Census Bureau or any governmental official. Or if you are desperate and can’t find anyone to contact, get with us here at GwinnettForum, and we’ll try to find out the answer to your Census questions. Call us at 770 840 1003, or at elliott@brack.net. Let’s all work hard to ensure a fair and accurate count.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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