President Matthew Jewell urges all residents to participate in the upcoming 2020 Census which will begin on April 1, 2020. In a historic move, the decennial will be held electronically through a secure and confidential process online or via a census numerator using a mobile app. Residents without access to a computer will also be able to respond via phone and mail.

“The outcome of the upcoming census is critical for ensuring that we have both the data and the funds that we need to plan our future.” said President Matthew Jewell. “The online process is making it easy for all residents to participate and the Census Bureau has put extreme measures in place to ensure your data is protected.”

The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be conducted every decade. Census statistics are used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and how billions of dollars in federal funds are distributed annually for critical public services like hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and emergency response.

In March, households will begin receiving cards in the mail instructing them to visit an online portal to participate in the census. It is important that every person is counted, and only counted once.

To learn more about the census, residents should visit census.gov.