Port of Columbia urges 2020 Census Participation

After months of trying to get residents to fill out their census forms, Columbia County has made very little progress. We are ranked 24 out of 39 counties in self-response rates. 

Why does this matter? Because federal funds (the tax dollars we’ve paid to the IRS each year) are sent back to states, counties, and cities based on population numbers as tracked by the Census. The number of representatives we have in Congress is also based on Census numbers. Millions of dollars are at stake for Columbia County, dollars that would be used for county roads, city streets, mental health, education - the list goes on. This is not an exaggeration. Literally millions of dollars could be lost to our county over the next 10 years. 

We need everyone in the community to help get the word out. Call people and ask them if they’ve filled out their census form, especially people that only have a PO Box and don’t get mail at their homes. If they haven’t, offer to help. Call your family, your neighbors, your church friends, your coworkers, anyone you can think of. Ask everybody. This is a critical issue for our county. The deadline is approaching.

Filling out the census is easy. All you need is your address.

• Complete online at 2020census.gov

• Complete on the telephone by calling 1-844-330-2020.