FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Contact: Susan Sandvick, Douglas County Clerk 715-395-1568 office
Douglas County, Wisconsin Douglas County Courthouse 1313 Belknap Street
Superior, WI 54880
DOUGLAS COUNTY 2020 CENSUS KICKOFF
Press Conference: Douglas County Government Center Board Room, 2nd Floor, 1316 N. 14th Street, Superior, Wisconsin, November 21, 2019, 5:00 PM
SUPERIOR, WI – Douglas County is joining a nationwide effort to assist with the 2020 U.S. Census.
In partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has formed a Complete Count Committee. The committee will work to increase awareness and motivate residents to respond to the 2020 Census. The committee will be soliciting help from various groups within Douglas County, including nonprofit, faith-based, community, and business.
The importance of a complete census count cannot be overstated. In addition to determining fair political representation at all levels, census population totals help determine which communities will receive federal funding distributed each year. Additional funding from the state is also tied to census results. This funding supports education, healthcare, transportation, housing assistance and rehabilitation loan programs, and other vital local programs.
Renters, students, immigrants, people older than 62, and children younger than five, are least likely populations to be represented in response to the census. Douglas County’s Complete Count Committee will work to increase response rates through targeted outreach campaigns to these members of the community.
During the month of March, 2020, each household should receive an invitation to respond to the 2020 Census. The census will be primarily conducted online, with the option to complete the survey by telephone or mail. Official census takers will conduct in-person surveys at households that do not initially respond.
All responses are confidential and protected by law. The Census Bureau is required to keep respondent information confidential and not share that information with immigration authorities, law enforcement agencies, or allow it to be used to determine eligibility for government benefits. The results from the census are reported in statistical format only.
So, what do you have to lose by not participating? A lot: According to a report published by The George Washington University Institute of Public Policy, 300 federal programs geographically allocate over $800 billion dollars a year based on census- derived statistics. An undercount can directly impact the allocations for several large programs that help states improve their residents’ well-being. Wisconsin is among 37 states that incurred a fiscal loss of $1,338 per person missed in the 2010 census.
Please participate and be counted in the 2020 Census.
For more information visit www.census.gov/2020census and
www.douglascountywi.org
