Local leaders kick off campaign to encourage residents to participate in 2020 census

HOUSTON – Local government leaders along with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo officially kicked off a campaign called “Say Yes! To Census 2020," to encourage local residents to participate in the 2020 census.

The message is for residents to “act now” because you won’t get the opportunity for another 10 years.

The goal of the campaign is to reach communities at risk of being undercounted in Houston and Harris County. City and county leaders have created a “count committee” to ensure everyone is counted. The number of people in an area determines how much federal funding the region receives for programs, like Medicare, Medicaid, school and school lunch programs and more.

After legal battles, the census questionnaire will not include a question asking people to declare their citizenship status, so everyone is encouraged to fill out the survey no matter their status.

Leaders also said participating in the census can provide many resources we rely on to make the county better and stronger.

“Nobody can share census data. Census data is collected to be added up cumulatively, but individualize data cannot be shared under very serious penalty of law,” said Dennis Johnson with U.S. Census Bureau. “It’s not only necessary but an essential task ensuring that you get your fair share of resources.”

Starting March 12, residents will receive information on the census and how to fill it out. To make things easier, the survey will be available online for the first time. When the survey goes live, KPRC 2 will share a link for people to use to fill out the form.


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