Asw. Yvonne Lopez

Once every ten years, New Jersey residents get the opportunity to shape the future of their state and its resources and representation in Washington D.C. This opportunity comes in the form of the decennial census. Mandated by the Constitution, the U.S. Census Bureau has been counting the U.S. population since 1790. While we have come a long way from conducting a census count by horseback, the census remains just as important for New Jersey. 

New Jersey has a lot at stake in the 2020 census and so do all of us as individual residents. The census determines billions in federal dollars to support everything from college tuition aide, social service programs and affordable housing. Universities, hospitals, school systems and other essential services also depend on the census for their resource allocations. If money is not enough of a driving force, the census also determines our representation in Congress. In 1980 New Jersey had 15 congressional districts and every census since then the state has lost more seats resulting in a net loss of 3 congressional representatives. Right now New Jersey has 12 congressional districts and if we lose another district, the state will have one less advocate for New Jersey issues in the House of Representatives. Finally an accurate census count is crucial for accurate data on our state. Everyone from college students working on a research paper to the business development manager of a Fortune 500 Company rely on census data to make decisions and justify policy. Inaccurate information can lead to a host of issues where NJ and its communities are short changed. 

Hopefully, you now see the importance of the U.S. census and how its results not only impact the state as a whole but your individual lives as well. So, I am asking you to step up and become a census champion. There are many hard to count communities in New Jersey, including Perth Amboy, and we can all help make sure our most vulnerable communities get the resources they need. As a census champion all you have to do is encourage your friends and family members to complete the census. 

The census can be completed by phone and online, with a turn-around time of 5 minutes. Your information is protected by state of the art software and federal law, meaning your information will never be released in any way.  If you haven’t done so already, please complete your 2020 census today. New Jersey is counting on all of us to do our part and we cannot let our state down!

To complete your census online, please visit 2020census.gov and to complete your census by phone please dial, 1-844-330-2020 (English) and 1-844-468-2020 (Spanish).