Michigan is among the top five states leading the nation in responses to the 2020 Census. While more than 60% of Michigan households have filled out the census as of the end of April, we’re counting on the remaining 40%. If you’re not counted, it will result in millions of dollars not coming back to Michigan.
Have you responded? What if you don’t remember receiving the census invitation in the mail? What if you threw it away by mistake? Not to worry! The Census Bureau is determined to count everyone.
Invitations to respond online to the 2020 Census were mailed in mid-March.
For people who don’t have conventional living arrangements – students living in dorms, people living in nursing homes, those experiencing homelessness – the Census Bureau follows special processes to accurately count them.
Now more than ever, it’s important that every Michigander be counted. Census data help determine funding for medical programs, which are critically important as the state and the country fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The outbreak of COVID-19 reinforces the critical importance of completing the 2020 Census to support our public health and disease prevention programs,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer when she declared April 1 “Take a Break and Be Counted” Day. “Federal tax dollars are allocated based on the census count that support Medicaid, Medicare, SCHIP and health care centers. … Our job is to make sure Michigan has an accurate and complete count.”
There’s a lot at stake. Funding for medical care relies on an accurate census count. Funding for education and food programs, as well as for roads and bridges, also depends on the census. Congressional representation does, too. Without an accurate census count, Michigan could lose a Congressional seat in Washington, D.C.
If you haven’t responded, it’s not too late. Visit 2020census.gov and fill it out online with your computer or handheld device. Or you can call 1-844-330-2020 to learn how to complete the census by phone, including in a language of your choice. It takes just 10 minutes to answer nine questions.
When everyone counts, everyone wins!