By Melissa Proulx
With an extended deadline set, the Select Board and Census Complete Count Committee would like to remind residents to complete the 2020 census if they have not done so already.
Starting in March, residents nationwide began to receive invitations to complete the census. Data collection will continue until Wednesday, Sept. 30 after the original deadline Friday, Aug. 14 was extended earlier this month.
The 2020 census can be completed online here. The census can also be completed by mail or over the phone. The census is available in 12 languages in addition to English. Residents should report all people living in their homes, including children and infants, regardless of whether or not they’re named on the mortgage or lease.
The census counts everyone living in the United States, regardless of citizenship status, and all respondents’ personal information is fully protected by law from being used for any other purpose beyond counting the population.
“Filling out the census has never been easier and takes only about 10 minutes to complete,” Select Board Member and Complete Count Committee Co-Chair Raul Fernandez said. “We strongly encourage residents to fill it out if they haven’t already to ensure that Brookline is adequately represented when officials look to make decisions using this data.”
According to Secretary of State William Galvin’s website dedicated to the Massachusetts 2020 census, the census impacts how much federal and state funding is given to communities for various projects in areas like schools and childcare, roads and bridges, public transportation, and public health.
The census also impacts the state’s representation in Congress and how many votes it has in the Electoral College, as well as representation in state and local government.
“The information collected each decade through the census is vital to ensure we’re adequately represented in Congress and can have significant impacts on the amount of federal funding Brookline receives,” Select Board Member and Complete Count Committee Co-Chair Nancy Heller said. “Now that the deadline has been extended to complete the census, we hope those who have not yet had a chance to fill it out will do so to ensure that officials get the full picture of the amount of residents in town.”
Anyone with questions about the 2020 census may call the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Census Division at 833-MA1-2020 or the U.S. Census Bureau at 1-844-330-2020 from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Additional information about customer support for non-English speakers can be found here.
For more information about the 2020 census, visit 2020census.gov.