Urgent Phase of Census Begins March 12: Information by Mail

By: Marc H. Morial

“The money that pays for hospitals, that pays for affordable housing…If our people are not counted, they literally do not receive the resources necessary. And as a consequence, we have weaker infrastructure, we have terrible hospitals, we have doctor shortages, we have overcrowded schools. All of those things happen because of the Census.” – Stacy Abrams, founder of Fair Count and former Georgia gubernatorial nominee

Beginning on March 12, households across America will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail.

This marks the first phase in the most urgent imperative of the decade. More than just a head count, the decennial census determines how legislative districts are drawn, how voting power is distributed among  communities, and how $675 billion in federal dollars will be allocated and invested.

If Black people are undercounted by 1.7 million, as many forecasts predict, it will cost states 3.4 billion dollars a year.

As soon as households receive this invitation in the mail, they can respond online, by phone, or by mail. This is the first time in history Americans can respond to the Census online. The information arriving in mailboxes next week will list a website listed and a Census ID, which can be used starting March 12.

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