This year doesn’t just mark Maine’s bicentennial or the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. It’s also the year of the Census. The Census is a survey that the U.S. Government conducts every 10 years to gather information about people living in the U.S. to inform policy planning, access to resources and funding, and to determine how many lawmakers communities get in Congress and in their state legislature. As you can see, a lot rests on whether or not folks fill out the Census. If we don’t, it could have repercussions that end up hurting our community, which is why it is so important to fill it out by the deadline on Sept. 30. Many people should have received a letter in the mail with instructions to fill out the questionnaire. With that letter, go to www.my2020census.gov to submit your information. If you haven’t received it you can still fill out the form online. If you need help filling it out or don’t have reliable internet access, you can call 844-330-2020 between 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day to get assistance.

I’ve spoken to family, friends and neighbors about filling out the 2020 Census. Although I have already filled mine out, I know how important it is to make sure as many people as possible fill out theirs too. Census.gov tells us that the information we provide helps inform businesses, lawmakers and nonprofits about a particular community. For example, small business owners could look at Census data to determine if there’s a market for their product or services in an area they are looking to start a new business; emergency relief workers and 911 systems are better able to serve their community based on demographic data; and if a population size increases or decreases, this helps inform the government where to build schools, government buildings and even post offices. Not to mention our federal tax dollars go to critical, community-based programs such as Head Start, low-income housing, supplemental nutrition programs and highway repairs, all based on Census data. By filling out the Census, we ensure that our tax dollars come back to us to support and improve our communities.

Census data is also used to determine the size of state senate and house districts, as well as the number of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine and which areas they represent. Every 10 years, the U.S. Constitution requires states to redistrict, which means they draw new congressional and state legislative district maps. Population numbers can change drastically in 10 years: It’s a very good reason why it is crucial that we engage in this redistricting process. We need to ensure that people have the right representation based on where they live on the federal and state level. Next year, Maine will begin its redistricting process, and the data that the Census produces will inform how we organize districts within our state.

It’s for these reasons and more that we need to fill out the Census. While COVID-19 has changed many parts of life we have taken for granted, it has only reinforced the significance of the Census and the programs that rely on its data. Where do we need to build hospitals? Start a new business or nonprofit? Which schools need the most financial support? These are all questions the Census helps answer. We can help our community by filling out the Census and encouraging others to do so as well. The next time you run into a neighbor, or catch a friend on the phone, I’d ask that you remind them to fill out the Census by Sept. 30. It’s on all of us to make sure we’re counted.

If you have any questions or concerns about filling out the Census, please call my office at (207) 287-1515 or send me an email at Linda.Sanborn@legislature.maine.gov.

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