Top Five Reas0ns to Fill Out the Census 2010 Form

If you have reservations about completing your Census 2010 form, consider this: it’s safe, it’s easy–and it can save you money. So forget the myths and misinformation, and consider the facts.

• It’s safe – By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including the IRS, FBI, CIA, INS or any other government agency. All Census Bureau employees take the oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to keep the data confidential. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.

• It’s easy – The mail-in census form is only ten questions long and, for many households, won’t take longer than ten minutes to answer. If you don’t return the form, you’ll be visited at your home by a census taker at least three times. Avoid the hassle and just fill out the form.

• It allocates money and resources to help you – The information collected on the census is used to allocate  more than $400 billion dollars in annual federal funding for services such as hospitals, job training centers, schools, bridges and roads.

• It saves you money – For every 1 percent increase in mail response, the government—and ultimately taxpayers—save $80 to $90 million.

• It helps your voice be heard – Redistricting is the process of changing electoral district and constituency boundaries, usually in response to periodic census results. Census information affects the numbers of seats your state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.

What’s So Important About Census 2010?

Every ten years, the Census Bureau is required by law to count everyone living in the United States. Everyone counts, regardless of age, race, ethnic group or citizenship status.

This month, the Census Bureau will mail or deliver a questionnaire to your house.  This form has only ten questions and takes about five minutes to complete.  Your answers are protected by law and are strictly confidential.  No court of law, not even the President of the United States, can access your responses.

But it’s important that you take part. Your answers give important insight about the country and its communities.   Perhaps most importantly, the  census figures help decide how many Federal dollars will be allocated to the communities within Westchester  County.

The Federal government uses population facts to allocate funds in a number of areas including:

• Title 1 grants to school districts across the nation,
• Head Start programs,
• WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) food grants,
• Public Transportation,
• Road rehabilitation and construction,
• Programs for the elderly,
• Emergency food and shelter,
• Job programs,
• Market research,
• And many other essential programs and services.

The population totals from this census will also decide the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives.

LCO 2242: Serving Southern Westchester

The Local Census Office in West Harrison, NY focuses on Southern Westchester County. It will count the residents –and recruit applicants for jobs–in Ardsley, Bronxville, Dobbs Ferry, Eastchester, Elmsford, Harrison, Hartsdale, Hastings, Irvington, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Mt Vernon, New Rochelle, Pelham, Port Chester, Purchase, Rye, Scarsdale, Tuckahoe, White Plains, West Harrison and Yonkers.

Count each person, once and only once

American democracy depends on fair and equitable representation in Congress—and that requires accurate population statistics. To assess the number and location of the people living within the nation’s borders, the US Constitution mandates a census of the population every 10 years. Read more…

Census Workers Sworn to Confidentiality–for Life

All census takers must take an oath that they will never reveal the information they collect as they knock on doors in neighborhoods around the country. And it is an oath that lasts for the rest of their lives. Not even the president of the United States swears a life-time oath. The only thing that comes close are the wedding vows a couple takes to be faithful ’till death do us part.’…

Violation of this oath can result in a maximum penalty of up to $250,000 or five years imprisonment, or both, reports Erik Fowle in New America Media. Want to know more about how the Census Bureau protects your privacy? Go here…