FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 9, 2019

CONTACT:Emilie Ritter Saunders, Communications Director | esaunders@mt.gov | 406.841.2557

Imitation Census Survey Reaches Montana Voters

Official U.S. Census Bureau surveys don’t cost money to complete, aren’t mailed by political groups

HELENA, Mont. – Montana’s Census and Economic Information Center at the Department of Commerce is reminding Montanans today that official U.S. Census Bureau surveys will never ask respondents for money, and those surveys will always be postmarked from the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau.

This reminder comes on the heels of an apparent imitation Census survey being mailed to Montana voters. The survey is called the “2019 Congressional District Census” and was mailed by the Republican National Committee. In addition, it asks respondents to pay, at minimum, $15 for processing the “Census Document.”

Montana’s Census 2020 Complete Count Committees are ramping up outreach efforts ahead of the official decennial Census, which begins in March 2020. Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney is Montana’s Complete Count Committee chairman.

“It’s imperative that we get accurate information about the Census to all Montanans,” Lt. Gov. Cooney said. “The official Census is easy to complete, secure, and does not cost money. An accurate and complete Census count for Montana is too important to take lightly.”

In 2010, the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act became law.

Counting everyone in Montana is critical because it determines the state’s share of federal funding for the next decade, and it determines whether Montana will get another representative in Congress.

For every Montana resident counted, the Census estimates the state will receive almost $2,000 each year for ten years.  That is $20,000 per person over the decade flowing across Montana counties for highway planning, medical assistance, educational programs, need-based support, and infrastructure.

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