U.S. Census letters start arriving March 12 inviting residents to participate online

The U.S. Census Bureau will begin mailing its first invitation letters to the 2020 Decennial Census next week ahead of Census Day, which is April 1.
Between March 12 and March 20, each residence will receive an invitation to participate in the census, and the letter will include a code to respond online.
 “Dear Resident,” the letter reads. “This is your invitation to respond to the 2020 Census. We need your help to count everyone in the United States by providing basic information about all adults, children and babies living or staying at this address.”
They’re asked to respond by April 1 by visiting a website and entering their Census ID, which will be unique to the residential address the letter arrives at. Residents will also have the option to respond by phone in 12 languages as well as English.
The letter assures residents their information is secure at the website and encourages them to respond online to save paper, taxpayer money and make data collection more efficient.
“If you are unable to complete your 2020 Census questionnaire online, we will send you a paper questionnaire in a few weeks for you to complete and mail back,” the letter states.
If there’s no response to the reminder letter with a mailed census form, residents will get a knock on the door by a credentialed Census Bureau interviewer to collect answers in person. (See the Census 2020 advertisement on page 8 for details.)
 
Census data helps communities receive federal dollars, ensures representation in government
Members of the local Complete Count Committee have been working for the past year to educate the community about the importance of participating in the census.
The U.S. Census counts every person in the United States every 10 years, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
The data collected determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also used to distribute billions in federal funds to local communities.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than $675 billion in federal funds is meted out to communities across the country based on population. That breaks down to roughly $2,800 per person per year, based on the 2010 census figures.
In Luverne census participation is especially important in 2020 because the town’s population is just shy of 5,000 people — the threshold to qualify for more federal support programs.
In 2010, Luverne’s population grew by 2 percent to 4,745 people. However, census officials estimate 15 percent of Rock County residents didn’t participate, and 11 percent of Luverne residents weren’t counted.
If there are indeed more people living in Luverne today, the local census committee members are determined to make sure each and every person is counted.
That’s why they’ve been sharing information about the census process with schools, landlords, housing authorities, nursing homes and other groups to familiarize residents with the process ahead of time.
In particular, they’ve identified certain groups that tend to be under counted due to various barriers.
For example, elderly people may be leery of sharing information with potential scammers. Others are skeptical of government (“it’s nobody’s business”) and many others will either overlook the questionnaire or misunderstand its importance.
But the committee is hammering away at the message that being counted in the census is good for everyone, it’s safe to participate in and it’s mandated by law.
 
Rock County Library will be a Questionnaire Assistance Center
The invitation letters include a phone number to call for help, and the Rock County Library will serve as a Questionnaire Assistance Center, which means library staff will be qualified to assist residents with their online census response.
Library computer stations and additional iPads, plus extended hours and an accessible building, mean that anyone needing assistance can get it. The library’s phone number is 507-449-5040.
Information about 2020 census is available on the City of Luverne website, cityofluverne.org. Click on the “government” tab to find the “2020 census” link.