SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | APRIL 2020 7
By Theresa Rossetti, Resident
A census is mandated by the Constitution every
10 years. Participation is required by law. The data
collected, delivered in December to the President and
Congress, determines the number of seats each state
has in the House of Representatives and is used to draw
congressional and state legislative districts as well as to
apportion federal funding for hospitals, fire departments,
schools, roads and other federal programs. An accurate
count is very important. By now, we all should have
received in the mail an official notice from the U.S. Census
Bureau with detailed information on how to respond. The
Census Bureau will not contact you by phone or email.
We have options to respond - online, by phone or by mail.
In April census takers will be conducting quality checks
in communities to ensure an accurate count. From May
through July census takers will be visiting homes that have
not responded. If you are contacted in person during this
time, verify the person has a valid ID badge with their
photo, an expiration date and a U.S. Dept. of Commerce
watermark. This may be a prime time for scammers to try
to gather our information, so be aware that census takers
will never ask for Social Security numbers, bank or credit
card numbers, or solicit donations.
Stand Up (Or Sit Down) And Be Counted
