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RESIDENTS WHO HAVE POST OFFICE BOXES
Residents who pick up their mail at post office
boxes may not be receiving a U.S. Census questionnaire. This is a huge concern
since local population numbers figure significantly into the funding levels for
everything from road maintenance (e.g., Liquid Fuels Funds) and other public
works projects to health care and education.
According to the Census Bureau, residents with post
office boxes may do one of the following to participate:
1. Call the Census 2010 Help Line toll-free at
(866) 872-6868 to answer the census survey questions over the phone.
2. Call the Census 2010 Help Line toll-free at
(866) 872-6868 to ask that a survey questionnaire be sent to a post office box.
3. Pick up a form at a local Questionnaire
Assistance Center. To find a center near you, log onto the Census 2010 Web site
at
http://2010.census.gov and scroll down to the
options under "Didn't Receive a Form."
2010
CENSUS BROCHURE
Click here
to view the most recent brochure regarding the 2010 Census.
Success of Census Is In Your Hands
(below
article is from the Township Today Volume V, No. 1)
Our
Township Benefits When Everyone Participates
It has only 10 questions and takes only 10 minutes to answer. What could
be so easy? Census 2010, of course.
In a few short weeks, the official form will arrive in the mail.
Hopefully, once you have the facts and understand what is at stake for you, your
neighbors, our township, and Pennsylvania, you will pick up a pencil, fill out
the questionnaire, and return it to the U. S. Census Bureau.
Because the truth is, your involvement really does matter and will determine if
the commonwealth and communities like ours gain, or lose, in Census 2010.
What's
the big deal?
Every decade, for 220 years, the federal government has been attempting to count
every man, woman, and child living in the United States - all 390 million of
them. Sure, the census is a complex, nationwide effort, but it's also a
local, grassroots event, and its ultimate success or failure hinges on one
factor: participation.
Still, what's the big deal if the U.S. Censes Bureau misses a person or two?
Well, Pennsylvania and its municipalities stand to lose two critical things,
money and political power, if the commonwealth fails to achieve a full and
accurate count in the weeks ahead.
Census 2010, like others before it, will determine how more than $400 billion in
federal funding is allocated each year to communities nationwide. This
money helps to support such things as local roads and bridges, emergency
services, recreation and economic development programs, schools, job training,
senior centers, and hospitals.
Our township, along with the rest of the state, could be short-changed tens of
thousands of dollars for every person who isn't counted. In fact,
researchers have estimated that 102,000 Pennsylvania residents were overlooked
during Census 2000, a number equal to the populations of Altoona and Lancaster
combined.
The federal government also relies on census numbers to determine how many
legislators and how much political clout each state will have in the U.S. House
of Representatives. With only 435 seats up for grabs, the competition is
fierce.
Georgia, for instances, tracked down people during Census 2000 that would have
otherwise been overlooked and gained two House seats. Meanwhile,
Pennsylvania has seen its representation in the House dwindle from 36
representatives in 1920 to 19 in 2000. And if it's not careful this time
around, the commonwealth could lose another congressional seat.
Closer to home, the census has an impact on state and local politics, too.
Population numbers determine the legislative boundaries for members of
Pennsylvania's General Assembly and help to establish where the lines for local
election districts will be drawn.
In addition, demographic data collected through the relatively new American
Community Survey, a census offshoot that has replaced the long form of years
past, defines who we are as a nation, as a state, and as a community - namely,
how and where we are living, what our age, income, and ethnicity is, and
how the population is changing.
Of course, this information is helpful to state and federal policymakers, who
rely on it to develop programs to reduce unemployment, expand low-income
housing, and stimulate economic growth, but our township benefits from the data,
too. Accurate information about who is living in our community helps the
township supervisors make informed decisions, whether it's about recreation or
building a new road.
Cautious but cooperative
Still, people continue to be skeptical about the census. They worry that
their personal information will fall into the wrong hands or that the census is
an attempt by the government to keep close tabs on them.
While township residents should be cautious to protect themselves against scams
and con artists during Census 2010, they should also be cooperative with census
workers, who will only visit your home if you do not return the 10-question form
by April 1, National Census Day. Census forms, which come with
postage-paid envelopes, will start arriving in mailboxes in mid-March.
Field representatives must carry an identification badge with a U.S. Department
of Commerce watermark and an expiration date. They may also have a bag
with a Census Bureau logo. Census workers will not be asking for credit
card, bank account, or Social Security numbers. Residents should be wary
of anyone who does and report him immediately to the township and law
enforcement.
A sample census form can be found at
www.2010.census.gove by clicking on the "How It Works" tab. The
questions, which have nothing to do with a family's income, job status, or
citizenship, are basic and focus on how many people are living in a home, their
date of birth, race, and gender. The form also asks if you rent or own
your home and requests a telephone number in case the Census Bureau does not
understand an answer.
"Good
for your community'
The bottom line is that the process is safe and confidential.
According to the Census Bureau, the information gathered is used to produce
statistics only Your answers, it stresses, cannot be used against you by
any government agency or court. In fact, bureau employees must take an
oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the data's
confidentiality. Under federal law, violators face fines of up to $250,000
and five years in jail.
"Filling out the form will not increase your chances of getting called for jury
duty; it will not mean that immigration agents will show up at your door; and no
one will come looking for you for unpaid parking tickets," Gove. Ed Rendell said
recently. "In fact, the census asks for less personal information than
does a typical credit card application. The bottom line is that answering
the questions is completely safe and good for your community."
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