Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey delivered a stern warning to Alabama residents in late July regarding the U.S. Census and the impact an undercount could have in the state over the next 10 years.
“To put it plainly, 60% just won’t get it,” Ivey said.
“We remain at serious risk of losing representation and critical federal funding if we don’t achieve maximum participation.”
Data from the census shows that almost 61% of Alabama residents have completed their 2020 census forms as of Aug. 11.
Nationwide, the completion rate stands at around 64%.
On Aug. 3, Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham announced the agency will end its count Sept. 30 in order to meet the original Dec. 31 deadline for reporting the count.
In 2010, Alabama’s participation rate was 72%.
Ivey said in April that if Alabama’s count falls shy of that rate in 2020, the state will likely lose a representative in Congress, as well as millions of dollars in community funding.
“Census results are vital to our collective future,” said Kenneth Boswell, Alabama Counts! chairman and director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.
Alabamians can participate in the 10-question census online at my2020Census.gov, by phone at 1-844-330-2020 or by paper form. (TAB)
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