Today is Census day, the reminder day to be counted in the 2020 U.S. Census. Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau is tasked with counting all the people residing in the United States. Headed up by Mississippi’s Secretary of State’s office, their mission is to ensure that Mississippi gets its fair share of federal resources by having everyone be counted.
Today is the day! No, not April Fools, it’s Census Day. Please take the time to participate in the Census today if you haven’t already. It’s quick, easy, and has an incredibly important impact on MS over the next 10 years. You can find more info at https://t.co/rU02yqIZCY. pic.twitter.com/Hz6RvmK4au
— Michael Watson (@MichaelWatsonMS) April 1, 2020
“I’m counting on all of us coming together to do our part to help our state provide the best for our citizens. On top of funding, we must make sure our full population is counted so we have proper representation in our federal and state government,” said Governor Tate Reeves.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, roughly $5,000 a year is lost to the state for every child or adult that is not registered with the census. That comes to a possible total of $17.5 billion federal dollars that could be lost each year for Mississippi. In the 2010, over 265,000 Mississippians were not counted.
Funding from the census goes to help support roads and bridges, first responders, hospitals, education and nutritional programs. While today is Census Day, you still have until August 14 to register with the Census this year.