The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Tick...tick...tick...Deadline looms
Lake County commissioner urges residents to respond
The time is nigh.
The U.S. Census Bureau is sending an additional paper questionnaire to over 16.2 million households in low-responding census tracts.
About 93.6% of households have completed the 2020 Census with 66% self-responding online, by phone or by mail, officials confirm.
Currently, Ohio’s response rate is 70%.
Locally, Lake and Geauga counties continue to lead in self-response rates both statewide and nationally, with 78.4% and 79.6%, respectively, as of Sept. 18.
The figures do not include the current phase, non-response follow up, where area census takers visit non-responding neighborhood households.
The final mailing began to arrive in homes late last month. All mail packages are expected to arrive this week.
Only non-responding households that have received only one paper questionnaire in the mail may receive the mailing.
The mailing is the last in a series of reminders the Census Bureau has sent to non-responding households since mid-March urging them to respond, noted Susan Licate, media specialist for the bureau.
“This is a great opportunity for people to be counted and reduce the need for a census taker to visit the house for an inperson interview,” Licate said. “Census data is what will drive federal funding based on population numbers to communities every year for the next 10 years.”
Census takers are now
visiting households that have not responded to collect responses in person.
Census takers are also visiting some households that have already responded as part of 2020 Census quality checks.
The Census Bureau has released 2020 Census housing unit completion rates that show the 2020 Census self-response rate and nonresponse follow-up rate.
About 19.7% of households have been counted by an in-person visit. Federal funding is what helps develop roads and bridges, schools, libraries, hospitals and infrastructure.
The dollars also drive many recognized programs, such as WIC, SNAP, HEAP, Meals-on-Wheels, Medicare, Medicaid, the National School Lunch program, programs for those experiencing homelessness and ESL programs, to name a few.
“In addition, our safety and law enforcement services also receive federal funds as well as nonprofit organizations that serve our communities whether for well-being or enjoyment,” Licate said.
“The census is nonpartisan — it’s not Democrat, Republican or Independent. It is our right to be counted and an opportunity for everyone who is living or staying in the United States to uphold the Constitution.”
The Census Bureau strongly encourages households that have not yet responded to the census to complete their questionnaire by Sept. 30 online at 2020census.gov or by phone in English or 12 other languages. Call 844330-2020.
Households do not need their mailed materials to respond.
Households that receive
the mailing and want to respond using the paper questionnaire must return it as soon as possible.
The Census Bureau will process all paper questionnaires postmarked by Sept. 30 and received at the Paper Data Capture facilities no later than Oct. 7.
While Lake County has surpassed its 2010 count, Lake County Commissioner John Hamercheck noted more action to fully complete the survey is imperative.
“Lake County continues to be a high performer, ranking us as one of the best in the state and the nation, but that’s still not good enough,” he said.
“The other counties that are ahead of us are typically much smaller in population, in many cases less than half (of our population),” he added. “I can’t overemphasize the importance of reaching out to
family and friends inquiring whether they’ve filled out the census.”
For each uncounted individual, approximately 50,300 people, Lake County fails to receive $1,800 per person, per year, totaling $905,400,000 over 10 years, according to estimates from the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy.
Lake County Planning and Community Development Director David Radachy noted the current undercount comparable to the population of Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake combined.
“We need to have as close to a complete count as possible,” Hamercheck said. “Our intention, when we began this, before COVID, we were looking to be in the high-80s, low-90s, and right now, we’re still chipping away at it. There is still time.”