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The Census Push

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The Census Push
By Mybrotha.COM Staff Writer - March 28, 2010

(Mybrotha.COM) - The U.S. Census Bureau is on a mission. Over the last several weeks, the government has been making a strong effort to make sure Americans to fill out and send in their 2010 Census forms.

Several celebrities have appeared in television commercials, and audio promo spots are all over the airwaves.

So what does it all mean? Why is the census so important?

First, participating in the census is required by law for everyone living in the United States. Americans who fail to mail in their census forms will receive a visit from a census taker--a person working on behalf of the U.S. Census Bureau who goes door to door, counting residents.

The Census is the basis for America's representative democracy, ensuring that Congress is fairly reapportioned every 10 years between the states. Census counts are also used to redraw state and local legislative boundaries so that political representation is fairly distributed across their changing populations.

At the community level, census data also helps determine how more than $400 billion in federal funds are distributed to tribal, state and local governments every year. This includes funding for schools, roads, health care and other critical programs.

Asking just 10 questions and taking about 10 minutes to complete, 2010 Census forms began arriving in 120 million mailboxes across the nation in mid March. This is just the 23rd time in U.S. history that the country has undertaken the constitutionally mandated population count that dates back to 1790.

According to Census Bureau Director Robert Groves released the initial 2010 Census mail participation rates for the nation, showing that 16 percent of households have mailed back their census forms so far.

For those who are overly cautious about giving their government census data, the U.S. Census Bureau wants you to know that you are safe. All census responses are confidential; they are protected by law and not shared with anyone. The Census Bureau takes extreme measures to protect the identity of individuals and businesses.

If you have not received a Census form, or if you would like more information about the census, What Is the Census?.

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