2020 Census Kickoff Event Scheduled for March 12
The Cities of Champaign and Urbana remind residents about the importance of completing the upcoming 2020 Census. Residents should be on the lookout for invitations from the U.S. Census Bureau which will start arriving in in the mail in the next few weeks.
To celebrate the start of the 2020 Census, the public is invited to participate in an exciting 2020 Census Kickoff event on March 12, 2020. The Kickoff starts at 2:00 pm and will be held at the Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center (1401 E. Main St., Urbana). Local elected officials and other featured presenters will speak at the event which is free and open to the public. Activities and refreshments will also be provided.
The 2020 Census Kickoff event is sponsored by: City of Champaign, City of Urbana, University YMCA, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, the Refugee Center, CU Immigration Forum, and Dharitree Ecosphere.
The Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center is one of more than a dozen local census assistance hubs around the community, including the University YMCA, the Refugee Center, the Illini Union, and C-U Public Health District. For a full list of locations, important census information. and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit the Central Illinois Census website at 2020centralillinoiscensus.org.
Mailed census invitations will start arriving in the mail March 12-20, 2020. The invitations will include instructions on how to complete the 2020 Census. Every household will have the option of responding online, by mail, or by phone. Households that do not respond will receive reminders and eventually a paper questionnaire. The Census Bureau will follow-up in person with all households that do not respond to the census. The 2020 Census will also be available in many different languages.
The U.S. Constitution mandates a census of the population every ten years. The census is safe, fast, and easy, and the results are critically important to our entire community. Census data is used to ensure fair representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and to guide the disbursement of $675 billion to fund schools, hospitals, clinics, road projects, public works, clinics, etc. over the next decade. The census will not ask for your citizenship status, your social security number, passwords, or bank account information. The Census Bureau has taken many steps to ensure that individual and household privacy is protected.
Once your household receives its census invitation, please use the Census ID printed on your invitation to complete the 2020 Census. If a household is unable to enter the Census ID, residents can still respond by providing their address. Whether individuals respond online, by phone, or by mail, it is important to respond right away.
Below is a timeline of how and when the U.S. Census Bureau will invite households to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire:
• March 12-20, 2020: Initial invitations to respond online and by phone will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.
• March 16-24: Reminder letters will be delivered.
• March 26-April 3: Reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not responded.
• April 8-16: Reminder letters and paper questionnaires will be delivered to households that have not yet responded.
• April 20-27: Final reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not yet responded before census takers follow up in person.