Not participating in 2020 Census could result in decade of consequences

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The deadline to fill out the 2020 census is fast approaching. Leaders at all levels say it’s vital that everyone is counted.

“The question is, were you living on us soil on April first? If so, you need to be counted in the 2020 census,” said assistant regional census manager Marilyn Stephens.

Stephens explains that thousands of dollars are at stake, from college tuition grants to money to help with childcare and funding for road projects.

“The schools are concerned that the parents aren’t completing the questionnaire. They could lose all types of funding: title one funds, special education funds, bilingual funds, as well as funding to provide food, even with the distance learning model,” said Stephens.

Besides education, skipping the census could deal a blow to disaster recovery money.

“Here we are not only in the middle of a pandemic but in the middle of hurricane season. Now, I don’t have to tell anyone in Louisiana about that after Hurricane Laura.”

It’s why census workers are now hitting the streets and making door-to-door visits in Baton Rouge and around the state, calling on you to answer or fill out your census online

“We can be assured of this - if we all participate in the 2020 census we will get our fair share and our numbers will support our needs over the next 10 years.”

The deadline to fill out the 2020 census is Wednesday, Septemeber 30.

You can fill out the census by going to my2020census.gov or respond by phone at 844-330-2020.

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