Local officials urging people to participate in U.S. Census

AUSTIN, Texas - Local officials are urging people to participate in the U.S. Census and ensure that every Travis County resident is counted in the 2020 Census.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Senator Sarah Eckhardt held a news conference to kick off county-wide 10-Day Census Countdown.

For the next ten days, the Austin-Travis County Complete Count Committee (CCC) will highlight different themes focusing on the many critical services the Census impacts. Eckhardt and Adler are co-chairs of the campaign.

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“Every Central Texan is directly impacted by funding decisions that are made based on the Census count,” said Senator Eckhardt in a news release. “If any residents are undercounted in 2020, every one of us will be negatively impacted for the next decade and beyond."

Every 10 years, the federal government is constitutionally required to count every person - regardless of origin or status - who is living in the United States in order to provide an accurate count of all people in the country.

The results of the Census are far-reaching and impacts federal funding for public schools, transportation dollars for roads and buses, reimbursement for healthcare programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, among other services. Census data also informs the way political districts are drawn for Congress, State House seats, and school board members.

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For more information on the 2020 Census and how to take the questionnaire, residents can visit ATXCensus2020.com.