MAINE, USA — The halfway point of 2020 has come and gone, which means the census data collection process is coming to a close soon. In fact, that deadline is earlier than originally expected – Americans have until September 30 to respond.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Census Bureau proposed pushing census deadlines back to account for challenges presented by COVID-19. The delays would have ended data collection on October 31 and scheduled the delivery of counts to the President for April 30. On August 4, however, the bureau announced it is keeping the original date of December 31 for presentation – meaning Americans have less time to fill out their census responses before the deadline at the end of September.
The census is specified in the constitution and happens once every 10 years. It determines things like congressional representation, in terms of U.S. House of Representative seats and redistricting; where businesses may be able to grow; needs for federal funding for programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps; infrastructure concerns; education and school food programs; and hospital and emergency personnel allocation. To put it simply, the census is a basic data depiction of who the country is and where its people are.
Some legislators are speaking out after the September 30 deadline announcement, including Senator Angus King (I-ME). Last week, he joined a bipartisan group of 23 senators, asking that an extension of the statutory deadlines for the 2020 Census be included in the next coronavirus relief package. King told NEWS CENTER Maine he thinks this is something to “be taken very seriously”, especially for places like Maine.
“In a rural state, I think there’s a particular concern because it takes longer to go house to house in a rural area than it does in an urban area,” King expressed. “We’re one of the most rural states in the country, so it could hurt Maine directly – and that’s what I’m concerned about.”
Door-to-door census operations began early in Maine in mid-July. Right now, there are about 1,600 trained census takers, though U.S. Census Bureau Regional Director Jeff Behler says they are still hiring. As of August 17, 2020, about 56.1% of Mainers have self-responded, according to an online interactive map. That’s compared to a national self-response rate of about 63.8%. Behler says door-to-door operations in Maine are about 54% complete and is urging everyone to submit their information.
“If people don’t fill out the census, it’s like they’re invisible. They don’t exist in the community – their numbers don’t exist in the community; their diversity in the community doesn’t exist,” Behler told NEWS CENTER Maine via Zoom. “That’s going to affect them, their family, their neighbors for the next 10 years – so, we get one opportunity to get this right.”
Behler is assuring all census takers that the door-to-door process is safe. Workers are required to wear masks and they can also give masks to respondents, if desired. Once the process reaches its end date, staff members will begin reaching out to proxies (like neighbors) for people who haven’t yet responded. Then, for the remaining less than one percent, staff will use a statistical imputation program.
You can fill out the 2020 census here.