2020 Census is mandatory
Published 7:00 pm Thursday, February 27, 2020
Americans nationwide will begin receiving forms to fill out for the 2020 Census in mid-March. The census is mandated by the U.S. Constitution and is mandated by law as well.
Apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is based on the official census count. Also billions of dollars from federal government programs are apportioned to states based on the census.
According to United States Code, Title 13 (Census), Chapter 7 (Offenses and Penalties), persons over 18 can be subject to a $100 fine for refusal to answer all or part of the census.
If you give false answers, the penalty is upped to $500. And if your answers or suggestions are given with “intent to cause inaccurate enumeration of population,” you could be subject to a $1,000 fine and up to a year in prison or both.”
But there really is no reason to not cooperate. In fact it is a patriotic duty to fill out the form and be proud to do so.
The census has been taken every 10 years since 1790 and has provided a wealth of information that has benefited the nation in numerous ways.
Census information is also useful to business owners, teachers, and many others to provide daily services.
The funding based on the census goes to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.
The Census Bureau guards your personal information very carefully. In fact, the Census Bureau is also bound by law to keep your personal information strictly confidential. In fact, every employee takes an oath to protect your information for life.
The bureau only makes public the statistical numbers, and before releasing data products, the Census Bureau verifies that they meet its confidentiality standards.
The Census Bureau also goes to great lengths to protect its data against cyberthreats and continually refines its approach to identifying, preventing, detecting, and responding to any threats.
Besides filling out the form and mailing it back, you can also provide the information by phone or online. The bureau will also send out census takers to count people who are experiencing homelessness.
For more information about the 2020 Census, visit 2020census.gov.
