By Gary Joiner
TFB Radio Network Manager
By April 1, 2020, Texas residents will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census.
There are some good reminders to help Texans, especially those living in rural areas of the state, prepare for the census and protect themselves from fraud or scams.
A postcard will ask each Texas home to respond to a short census questionnaire online, by phone or by mail. The 2020 Census marks the first time that responses can be submitted online.
Officials said the U.S. Census Bureau will not send unsolicited emails to request your participation in the 2020 Census.
Officials also said, during the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card numbers, money or donations, and it will not contact you on behalf of a political party.
The Bureau encourages U.S. residents to be on alert for phishing scams. These are criminal acts in which someone tries to get your information by pretending to be an entity that you trust. Phishing emails often direct you to a website that looks real but is fake and may be infected with malware.
In May, the Census Bureau will begin visiting homes that haven’t responded to the 2020 Census to make sure everyone is counted.
If someone visits your home to collect a response for the 2020 Census, officials said you can first check to make sure that the representative has a valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date.
If you suspect fraud or still have questions about the representative’s identity, you can call 800-923-8282 to speak with a local Census Bureau representative.
If you determine the visitor who came to your door does not work for the Census Bureau, please contact your local police department.
Census takers could be in your neighborhood or area to verify addresses in preparation for the census, to collect responses to the census or another survey, to drop off census materials or conduct quality checks related to the census.
The results of the census determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and its number of electoral votes in presidential elections. Texas is expected to pick up as many as three new Congressional seats from the 2020 Census.
Results are also used to draw congressional and state legislative districts. Businesses rely on data from the census for market research, locations and economic development.
In December 2020, the Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the president and Congress, as required by law.
The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790. For more information, visit https://2020census.gov.