The deadline to complete the 2020 Census has been extended to the end of October. The Census had been scheduled to end Sept, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a lackluster response rate that deadline has been extended back to Oct. 31.
“FINAL CENSUS COUNTDOWN Time is ticking!” Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, wrote in an email to constituents. “The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced the deadline to complete the 2020 Census is now on October 31. I encourage you to respond to the Census today if you have not already, and I also urge you to make sure your family and friends have participated.”
“Please be sure to do your part and complete your Census response before the upcoming deadline, and encourage your family and friends to participate as well,” Roby said.
There are four ways to complete your 2020 Census:
- Online at my2020census.gov. (Note: The Census ID number included on your original invitation letter is not required to complete the census online).
- Call the U.S. Census Bureau toll-free at 844-330-2020. Telephone assistance is also available in multiple languages.
- By mail: Return the paper form included with your invitation letter.
- In person with a Census enumerator/representative that visits your home.
Any errors or under counts in this census will not be corrected for ten years. An under count could lead to lost federal funds for the state, towns and counties.
The 2020 Census will be used to reapportion and redistrict not just Congress but also both chambers of the Alabama Legislature, the state school board, as well as many county commissions and city council districts.
At this point it appears that the state Alabama is going to lose at least one of its seven Congressional districts, which would also cost the state a vote in the Electoral College. This is due to the state’s low population growth in the last decade compared to other states that experienced more robust growth and the poor census response rate by the people of Alabama.
The Census is mandated in the U.S. Constitution and citizens have had to answer the Census question since the 18th Century.
