03/29/2024
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By Charlotte Smith

The Bladen County 2020 Census Complete Count Committee met Thursday  morning in the Bladen County Agricultural Center in Elizabethtown. Mr. Greg Elkins with County of Bladen is leading the charge.  

Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a population count of everyone in the United States. Data from the census provide the basis for distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to communities across the country to support vital programs—impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, and public policy. They also are used to redraw the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts and accurately determine the number of congressional seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to a Census fact sheet.

Elkins said, “So far I think we are on track,” when talking with the committee members about educating the communities about the Census.

The primary goal of the 2020 Census is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place, according to Census.gov. Elkins and other committee members have been out in local communities spreading the word about the significance of the Census.

“For every person not counted the towns and county are losing over $16,000 per person for the 10 year period. This money is used to provide essential services to our citizens,” Elkins said recently in reference to the importance of the Census.

The next census will take place in 2020. Beginning in mid-March. People will receive a notice in the mail to complete the 2020 Census. Once you receive it, you can respond online. In May, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin following up in person with households that haven’t responded to the census.

In 2020, for the first time ever, the U.S. Census Bureau will accept responses online, but you can still respond by phone or mail if you prefer. Responding should take less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee.

The decennial census will collect basic information about the people living in your household. When completing the census, you should count everyone who is living in your household on April 1, 2020.

The Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security numbers, bank or credit card account numbers, money or donations, or anything on behalf of a political party. Strict federal law protects your census responses.

“We scheduled our next meeting for August 22 at 10 am at the agricultural building. This group will target special population groups, health, business, faith, education, housing, etc. to help get the word out about the census,” Elkins explained about the purpose of the committee.

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