Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming 2020 census

CORRECTION: A previous version of the article misquoted Todd McGee's statement about the amount of money each person who responds to the census brings in to the community in state and federal funds. McGee said each person brings in around $1,800. The article has been updated to reflect the change. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.

Todd McGee has been Orange County’s community relations director since 2016. He’s also a member of Orange County’s Complete Count Committee, a volunteer organization that seeks to motivate people to respond to the 2020 census. The Census Bureau will begin mailing out initial invitations in mid-March. 

Staff Writer Victoria Johnson interviewed McGee about what Orange County residents need to know about the upcoming 2020 census.

The Daily Tar Heel: Why should people care about the census? Why does it matter?

Todd McGee: The census data is used to determine how $675 billion a year in federal funding is spent. That money is for programs like Smart Start, for school nutrition, for roads and transportation, for programs that benefit the elderly, for programs that benefit Medicaid and Medicare recipients, those kinds of things. 

So, it’s like 132 different federal programs that use the census data to determine how much funding states and localities get. Each person who responds brings in about $1,800 a year to the community in state and federal funds. If communities are undercounted, then they lose money. And then North Carolina as a state is projected to gain a seat in Congress. So we need everybody to fill it out, so we make sure we can get that extra seat and have our fair share of representation.

DTH: Who needs to fill out the census?

TM: Every household will get a form, and so somebody in each household will need to make sure the form is filled out and that it includes everyone who lives in the household as of April 1.

DTH: Do people need to respond even if they are not American citizens?

TM: Yes. Everybody needs to fill it out regardless of age, immigration status or race.

DTH: How do UNC students respond if their permanent address is in another county?

TM: If you are living on campus, you don’t have to do anything. The University will take care of you if you’re in campus housing. If you’re living off campus, then, yes, you will need to fill out the census form. 

DTH: What happens if people don’t respond?

TM: You will keep being contacted by the Census. The Census Bureau will make great effort to get up with everybody. Basically, what happens is you’ll get a mailing in mid-March and then a follow-up letter, probably about a week later just reminding you to fill out the form. 

You’ll get another reminder in late March/early April. If by the first week in April you still haven’t responded, they’ll mail you the paper questionnaire, and then at the end of April, you’ll get one more reminder postcard to fill it out. And then in late April/early May, if you still haven’t responded, the census takers will start coming and visiting people in their houses or their residences.

DTH: What questions will people need to answer?

TM: It’s just basic questions they’re asking. How many people live in a house? Is it apartment or mobile home? They ask for a telephone number to follow up for information. And then for each person in the house, they ask: What is their sex? What is their age? Are they of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin? What is their race? And then they have several choices for that. It’s just basic demographics on the people who live there. 

DTH: Who will see the answers?

TM: Just the Census Bureau. They are not allowed by law to share it with anybody else. Landlords can’t see it. They won’t share it with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They won’t share it with law enforcement or anybody like that. It’s kept secret for 72 years.

DTH: How can people fill out the form?

TM: There’s three ways to respond, and two of them are new. You can respond online. The letter that you get will have instructions on how to fill it out online, and it shouldn’t take but five to 10 minutes. It depends on how many people are in your household. 

If you don’t have access to a computer, there are phone numbers that you can call and give people your answers over the phone. You’ll still need that letter with your unique code so they’ll know who you are. And then you can also do the paper form as always. Eventually you’ll get the paper ballot if you don’t respond.

DTH: How can people help ensure that everyone gets counted?

TM: Well, filling it out is the main thing. Make sure they fill it out — in particular for college students who live in apartments with other college students — to make sure that somebody in each of those places takes responsibility for filling their form and remembers to do it for everybody who lives there. 

It’s important to note that each address will get one form addressed to the address. It won’t have a name on it, so it’s not that everybody who lives there will get a form, but there will be one form for that entire address. So, whoever fills it out needs to include the information for everybody who lives there.

DTH: Can people volunteer?

TM: No. But there are jobs, though. You wouldn’t volunteer. You can actually get paid for it. If students are looking for a job to make some extra money, they can go to the census.gov website and apply for jobs. Orange County has not filled all of their jobs yet, I know, so they are looking more folks to do that. If people don’t want to work but they want to help, they can still help by sharing messages on social media about the importance of participating and encouraging others to fill it out.

Sample questionnaires can be found on the 2020 census website in both English and Spanish.

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