Tell Congress to Ensure an Accurate Census!

As United Methodists, we affirm the importance of making sure our communities are healthy and thriving. The 2020 Census will help determine the allocation of $1.5 trillion in federal funding for schools, roads, hospitals, and parks.

The 2020 Census only comes around once every ten years and each count contribute to the future of our communities.

Please encourage your neighbors and friends to get counted now. There is still time to respond to the 2020 Census by phone at 844-330-2020, online at 2020Census.gov, or by answering questions from a census taker at your door. You must complete the Census by October 15 at 11:59 pm ET.

Congress needs to act to extend the census reporting deadlines and give the Census Bureau the time it needs to complete an accurate census. According to the Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights, once the Census Bureau finishes collecting data — from 150 million housing units and thousands of group facilities, from people experiencing homelessness or living in transitory locations (e.g. RV parks) — it begins a long and complex process to process and improve the raw data. Currently, the deadline for report results by December 31, 2020. Both the Commerce Inspector General and the General Accountability Office (GAO) agree that the accuracy and quality of the processing of the data will be severely hampered with a compressed processing timeline.

Congress must set a clear path forward by pushing back those deadlines by 120 days each, as the administration requested in April. Accurate 2020 Census data are critical for the prudent, fair allocation of federal resources to states and localities for the next decade, especially to support economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and with emergency preparedness and response in natural disaster zones.

Take Action Today!