Census workers coming around soon

When a year ends in zero, it’s a census year, a time when all U.S. residents — citizens and non-citizens — are counted.

The count is important for each town, city and state because population determines the number of seats in the House of Representatives. But Joyce Finkelstein, chair of the Pima County Complete Count Committee, said it’s more than the allocation of congressional seats.

“So much of what we get... roads, hospitals and senior care centers are dependent on the count,” she said, referring to public dollars flowing into a community.

“The Census doesn’t care where your car is registered. What matters is where you live for six months and one day of the year. If people spend six months and one day here they should have an interest in where they spend the majority of their time,” Finkelstein said, adding that people with seasonal homes may get two Census forms because forms are mailed to addresses and not to names.

If time is divided equally, the Census form should be completed based on where the person is on Census Day, April 1.

How, when, where, why

An advance letter about the 2010 Census will be mailed the first week of March. The Census form will arrive by mail the week of March 15 and should be returned by mail by April 1.

Anyone who does not return the Census form will be visited by a Census worker between May and July.

By law, the Census Bureau delivers population counts to the president on Dec. 31, and completes the delivery of redistricting data to states by March 2011.

Community programs and services including education, school lunch programs, housing and health care services for the elderly receive federal funding, and allocations are based on local Census counts.

Census data is used to provide a snapshot of the United States. It tells the ethnic makeup and what has changed since 2000.

Cooperative and cautious

The Better Business Bureau has been working for several years to educate consumers about not giving out personal information over the telephone or to anyone who shows up at the front door.

To avoid being a victim of fraud or identity theft, the BBB advises people to be cooperative but to also be cautious. Most people, the BBB says, are cautious about not giving out personal information to unsolicited callers or visitors.

However, the Census is an exception.

It’s important to know that scammers will use the Census as an opportunity to get personal information and may pose as Census workers.

The BBB said some companies are mailing letters to Arizona residents asking for a donation and a request to complete a “2009 Census for Senior Citizens” survey or “National Census of U.S. Taxpayers.” These types of solicitations are not from the U.S. Census Bureau.

What to know

If the Census form is completed and returned, a Census worker will not visit your home.

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, the person will have a badge and generally will have a hand-held device, a Census Bureau canvas bag and a confidentially notice. Ask to see their badge.

Census workers will not solicit donations.

Do not give out Social Security numbers, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if the person claims to be from the Census Bureau.

Personal information remains confidential with the U.S. Census Bureau and is not shared with any other governmental agencies.

Immigration is not one of the questions asked, and the Census form has only 10 questions.

Do not click on a link or open any attachments in an e-mail that indicated they are from U.S. Census Bureau.

Census takers will have a flashcard containing a sentence about the 2010 Census written in 50 languages. If a resident doesn’t speak English, the Census taker will show the flashcard and ask the resident to point to the language he or she speaks. A Census crew leader will then reassign the case to a person who speaks that language.

Census questionnaires are available in large-print for the visually impaired. For further information contact the Questionnaire Assistance Center or call 520-792-1093.

What the Census asks

Households are asked to provide key demographic information. This includes whether a home is rented or owned, the address of the residence; and the names, genders, ages, dates of birth, ethnicity, race of every person living in the household, and if the anyone at the address sometimes lives somewhere else — college housing, the military, a seasonal or second residence, a nursing home, jail or prison.

The Census will also ask for a telephone number of the residence to use if a response is not clear.

Finkelstein said Arizona is looking to maximize its count of seats in the House and representation is based on population.

“If people live here six months and one day we want them to fill out the Census form here,” she said. “The other residence isn’t home. This is home.”

Contact Green Valley freelance reporter Ellen Sussman at ellen2414@cox.net.