Abilene Times

ABILENE – The Abilene Chamber of Commerce's director of Census relations said completing the 2020 count is vital to the nation. 

Jay Hardaway said the Census provides resources for lawmakers, business owners, teachers and others can use to support their community. 

The Census helps determine where federal funding should go and also determines how many seats in the House of Representatives each state has. 

"Texas might gain two or three seats," Hardaway said. "So what does that do? They redraw lines in the state Legislature, not only for the U.S. House delegation in Texas. They redraw the state Senate seats, they redraw the state House seats, they redraw the Commissioners Court precincts."

Invitations to complete the Census should have been received starting March 20. Residents can complete the Census online, by phone or mail. Every home should have an invitation by "Census Day," which is April 1. Letters will also be sent to remind individuals to complete the Census. 

Hardaway also said the 19th Congressional District has a high chance of being redrawn. 

"It stops kind of right at Graham, Breckenridge, that area," he said. "We don't have Callahan, we don't have Coleman, we don't have Brown County."

Results from the Census show the government where resources are need in communities such as new schools, clinics and roads. It can also show where programs, such as Medicaid or Head Start, are needed. 

"People don't realize how much money is block-granted to the state and then to localities from the federal government, or from the federal government directly to the localities," Hardaway said. "So many of those grant programs are determined by data from the Census."

Hardaway also said that those at a high risk to be underrepresented are most needed to take the Census. He said it might be "because of economic circumstances or mistrust of somebody with a name badge knocking on their door."

Populations that are often under-counted are college students and refugees, he said. 

"We have these populations that we have to engage, educate and encourage," Hardaway said. "There's only so much that can be done by their place of employment, their place they're enrolled, to get them to do it. And the way you do outreach to off-base military people is not the same way you do outreach to the ... refugee community."

Census fraud isn't much of a concern, he said, because participation is often self-driven. 

"The Census is not going to ask for your banking information," Hardaway said. "The Census is not going to call you. ...  You can fill out your Census over the phone, but they will not call you with that option."

The time period the Census takes place during can also help squeeze out dishonesty. 

"This process ends at the end of July," he said. "So if someone comes to your door in September and says they're from the Census, they're probably not. Similarly, the enumerators don't begin until May. So no one's going to knock on your door March 15 and say, 'I'm an enumerator.' If they do that, it's probably fraudulent."

In off-years, the American Community Survey will be sent out by the Census Bureau, which helps get details from communities, but it is not the Census. 

"If you don't know anything about the census, or you don't remember 10 years ago when they asked those questions, you're going to get that, fill it out, and then think you're done," Hardaway said.

This means Hardaway has to be very clear and deliberate on how people are informed.