Montana 2020 Census Newsletter

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CENSUS STORY OF THE WEEK

COVID-19 CREATES CENSUS COUNT CHALLENGES

To increase Montana’s self-response rate to the 2020 Census, U.S. Census workers and volunteers have been staffing COVID-19 testing areas to remind everyone about the importance of being counted and making sure each Montana household is filling out the Census form. The pandemic has disrupted the 2020 Census efforts, putting at risk a full count of Montana residents.

Photo from Little Shell Headquarters by U.S. Census staff

Photo from Little Shell Headquarters by U.S. Census staff

As of June 9, the national self-response rate was just below the U.S. Census Bureau's pre-pandemic benchmark of 60.5 percent. Bureau officials were hoping to reach that rate by the end of April. Montana remains 10 percent below the national benchmark with more than 260,000 households yet to respond.

U.S. Census Bureau staff have indicated that 84 percent of the update/leave operations in Montana have now been completed. That means only 16 percent of households in Montana have not yet received an invitation to participate. (Remember – households don’t need to wait for an invitation to fill out the Census!)

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has warned that “delays and changes to operations as a result of COVID-19 present further risks to an accurate, timely and cost-effective count."

The GAO recommends:

  • Continued attention to self-response
  • Communicating pandemic plans to ensure continued operations
  • Achieving and maintaining sufficient staffing levels
  • Revising the Bureau's approach to communications and partnerships
  • Adjusting plans for Group Quarters and Service-Based Enumeration
  • Monitoring ongoing risks to IT systems implementation
  • Managing disinformation and misinformation
  • Addressing cybersecurity weaknesses
  • Protecting the privacy of respondent data
  • Ensuring data quality under potentially compressed timeframes
  • Evaluating the impact of census delays on data quality

Read the full GAO report here.

Additionally, a bill called the Fair and Accurate Census Act was introduced in the House of Representatives to extend major deadlines for the 2020 census as requested by the U.S. Census Bureau. Tim Olson, the head of field operations for this year's national Census count has indicated the Bureau has "passed the point where we could even meet the current legislative requirement of Dec. 31."

If Montana is to receive its fair sharing of federal funding and potentially gain a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, it's important for everyone across the state to make sure family, neighbors and friends have completed their Census form.


Census Jobs in Montana

Census Is Hiring

The U.S. Census Bureau continues to recruit workers in Montana for temporary jobs. Jobs offer flexible schedules, pay a starting wage of $17- $19.50 an hour and do not require related experience. You must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, and complete a background check to be hired. 

GO TO 2020CENSUS.GOV/JOBS to APPLY


fill out your form today

Complete the 2020 Census Now 

Filling out the Census is quick, easy, and safe. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and your information and privacy are protected by federal law. 

NO CENSUS ID? NO PROBLEM.

No Census ID No Problem

Even if you have not received your invitation to participate and do not have your 12-digit Census ID you can still fill out your form now!

The 2020 Census is available to fill out online at my2020census.gov.

Call in Your 2020 Census Today

Responding to the Census by phone is also an option. The whole process takes about 10 minutes. A live person answers the phone and takes the callers response (after some brief automated information is first provided). Here are some quick facts:

  • To begin, call 844-330-2020 or  844-467-2020 TDD (Telephone Display Device)
  • Have your 12-digit Census ID number available
  • Full language support is provided for 59 non-English languages; go to the Census “Responding-by-phone” website for more information
  • Hours of Operation: 
    • English and Spanish language – 7 am to 2 am Eastern Time
    • Non-English and Non-Spanish language – 8 am to 10 pm Eastern Time
  • A callback option is available to better respond to requests during periods of high call volume. 

Steps You Can Take to Ensure a Complete Count for Montana

  • Promote my2020census.gov and 1-844-330-2020 for people to fill out their Census form online or by phone. 
  • Post a picture with Census content on your social media to let your family, friends, and followers know that you were counted in the 2020 Census. Use the hashtags #MontanaCensus2020 #makeitcount 
  • Get involved with your community’s Complete Count Committee (CCC). CCC's are volunteer committees established within communities to increase awareness and motivate the public to respond to the 2020 Census. A map of CCC's in Montana can be found HERE
  • Include Census information in mailings that you're sending out. To request free materials be mailed to you contact us HERE
  • Talk about the Census and become a trusted voice on the importance of a complete count. As a community member that people trust, your support of the 2020 Census can help other people see the benefit of filling out their 2020 Census form. 
  • Distribute the Montana public service announcements (PSA) on personal or business social media platforms, websites, newsletters, or other digital communication channels.

Calendar

IMPORTANT DATES

These events are current but are subject to change as the U.S. Census Bureau revises its operations in response to COVID-19. Check with event organizers regarding local events and go to 2020CENSUS.GOV for the latest U.S. Census Bureau operations updates.

March 12 – October 31: Self Response Phase

April 2: Group Quarters Count extended to September 3, 2020

May 6 – July 9: Resume Update/Leave Operations in Montana and other select states

June 14 – June 21: Census Awareness Week

June 14 - July 29: Resume Update/Leave Operations nationwide

July 1 – Sept. 3: In-person Group Quarters Enumeration

Aug. 11 – Oct. 31: Non-response Follow-up

Sept. 3 – Sept. 28 (Tentatively): Enumerate Transitory Locations

Sept. 22: Operations to count those experiencing homeless will start nationwide

April 30, 2021 (Proposed): Deliver Census Population Counts to the President

July 31, 2021: Deliver redistricting data to states


HELPFUL RESOURCES

       Montana Customized Census 2020 Resources 

       U.S. Census Bureau YouTube Channel

       U.S. Census Bureau Outreach Materials

       U.S. Census Bureau PSA Toolkit


IN THE NEWS

Being Counted in CENSUS 2020 Brings Sweet Rewards - FAIRFIELD SUN TIMES

Fill out the Census - BOULDER MONITOR

Lagging rural census response could cost Montana second U.S. House seat - MONTANA FREE PRESS


HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT 2020 CENSUS OPERATIONS AND ENUMERATION?

To be routed to your local U.S. Census Bureau office, call                       
855-562-2020,select option 3, and enter your zip code. 

Reach out to a Montana Census 2020 Partnership Specialist:

Jeri Bucy
Montana Partnership Specialist
U.S. Census Bureau
Email: jeri.bucy@2020census.gov
Phone: (406) 302-2227

Jihan Khalaf
Montana Partnership Specialist
U.S. Census Bureau 
Email: Jihan.k.khalaf@2020census.gov
Phone: 406-439-3383

Colleen M. McCarthy
Montana Partnership Specialist U.S. Census Bureau
Email: Colleen.M.McCarthy@2020census.gov
Phone: (406) 302-2226

Laurie Cipriano
Public Information Officer
Email: laurie.a.cipriano@2020census.gov
Phone: (720) 891- 2497 (Colorado)


email

HAVE YOUR CENSUS NEWS PUBLISHED IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER 

Have you been working on community outreach for the Census? Or do you have a success story you'd like to share? Contact us HERE for a chance to be published in the next newsletter and have your next digital event displayed on the 2020 Census Events Calendar at CENSUS.MT.GOV.