Tutors, Students, Partners, and Friends of the
Volunteer English Program,
join us in spreading the message about how important it is for all people to fill out the 2020 Census. The following questions are answered in the information that follows. The VEP website information and resources in non-PDF format can be translated into 50 languages.
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- How is the Census Information that I share used?
- Is Census Information Confidential?
- What is VEP doing to support the Census Count effort?
- Should VEP Students participate in the Census Count?
- When does the Census Count begin?
- Tutors -What is the Civics Lesson to Share? Why Do We Count People Every 10 Years?
The U.S. Government uses the census data to strengthen communities and decide how to spend money for senior centers, hospitals, libraries, roads, housing, and other resources.
Census answers are completely confidential and will not be used against you. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share answers with anyone, including other government agencies.
Chester County Residents will be able to fill out the census online, by mail, or by phone, and there are only nine basic questions.
There is no citizenship question, and the census will never ask for a resident’s Social Security number, or for money, bank account information, or credit card numbers.
VEP is participating as a Census Champion in partnership with the Chester County Complete Count Committee to provide resources and to encourage all residents to participate in the census. VEP Tutors are our Students most trusted advisor in addition to staff. Thank you for sharing the following information.
English Language Students Are Encouraged to Participate in the Count
Did you know that taking the 2020 Census strengthens your community through funds for services such as hospitals, senior centers, jobs, roads, schools, and businesses? The census also funds programs such as food stamps, Head Start, school lunch programs, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. And it’s COMPLETELY confidential! By law, the Census Bureau cannot share your answers with anyone, including other government agencies. You will start receiving mailings with instructions on how to fill out the census in mid-March until #CensusDay, which is April 1, 2020.
Talk with your tutor about what to expect this April and be an important part in continuing to make your community a great place to live!
Timeline
February, 2020: Information sharing begins now to help everyone understand what is expected.
Mid-March 2020: Information is available on-line, by mail, and on public Census.gov sites.
April 1, 2020: Everyone living in the United States is counted.
July, 2020: Last day to submit your household information in order to be counted.
Source: Chester County Planning Commission. www.chesco.org/planning/cccc
Census Brochure in English: https://chescoplanning.org/Demographics/PDF/CensusBrochure.pdf
Census Brochure in Spanish: https://chescoplanning.org/Demographics/PDF/CensusBrochureSp.pdf
Tutors: What is the Civics Lesson?
Why Do We Conduct the Decennial Census?
The framers of the Constitution of the United States chose population to be the basis for sharing political power, not wealth or land.
“Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which
may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers…” – The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 2.
A census aims to count the entire population of a country, and at the location where each person usually lives.
The census asks questions of people in homes and group living situations, including how many people live or stay in each home, and the sex, age and race of each person. The goal is to count everyone once, only once, and in the right place.
How the Census Benefits Your Community
Federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race and other factors. Your community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. When you respond to the census, you help your community gets its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs.
Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, and this creates jobs. Developers use the census to build new homes and revitalize old neighborhoods. Local governments use the census for public safety and emergency preparedness. Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.
Importance of Apportionment
Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states must be carried out every 10 years. Therefore, apportionment is the original legal purpose of the decennial census, as intended by our Nation’s Founders.
Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states, based on the state population counts that result from each decennial census.
The apportionment results will be the first data published from the 2020 Census, and those results will determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives for the next 10 years.
Census Data Tools
You have free access to decades of census data about your community. Use our interactive data tools to find useful stats about your city, county, state, and nation.
Source for more detailed information: U. S. Government. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/about/why.html