Resolved: March Is Census Awareness Month

As the Census Bureau gears up to conduct the 2010 census, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D. Texas, has introduced a resolution that designates March 2010 as Census Awareness Month to encourage all people in the United States to participate so that the decennial count is fair and accurate.

The resolution “urges state, local, county, and tribal governments as well as other organizations to emphasize the importance of the 2010 Census and actively encourage all individuals to participate” because a fair and accurate census count is “vital to the well-being of our communities.”

A fair and accurate census is critical.  Census information is used to determine where and how more than $400 billion in government funding is spent each year. Each person who goes uncounted will cost thousands of dollars a year, depriving local communities of funding for essential resources such as schools, health clinics, senior centers, and job training sites. Census information also helps empower communities by making sure that they are included when new congressional and legislative districts are drawn; and is used to enforce and monitor compliance with civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.

The count begins April 1, 2010, but forms will be mailed to households in March.

Counting every person in the United States is incredibly difficult. Despite the Census Bureau’s best efforts, some households are missed by the count; some households are counted more than once; and still others respond with incorrect information. 

Recognizing the importance of an accurate 2010 census, The Leadership Conference Education Fund has partnered with four national civil rights organizations and local organizations in 13 key cities around the country, to encourage census participation among hard-to-count populations.

For more information on the campaign, visit our 2010 census section.