Stand Up and Be Counted
Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community CollegeIt's that time again, time for the U.S. Census. So why is this so important?
Every ten years we are asked to stand up and be counted. This is not some intrusion by Big Brother, it is the very basis of our representational form of government. Every state gets two U.S. Senators, but we don't all get the same number of U.S Representatives. That number is based on the individual state's percentage of the total U.S. population.
New Hampshire has two Congressmen, Representative Paul Hodes in our Second Congressional District, and Carol Shea-Porter in the First Congressional District. Vermont, with a population half of ours, only has one representative. California, which had a population of over 33 million in 2000, has 53 U.S. Representatives.
The state of New Hampshire's House and Senate districts are redrawn every ten years using census figures, as are the Executive Council districts. Ever wonder why Executive Councilor Ray Burton's District 1 keeps extending farther and farther down the map? The southern part of the state is growing much faster than the northern, so our districts have to include more and more towns to equal the southern tier's population numbers.
Many federal funds spent on infrastructure and services are allotted on a population basis. Hundreds of billions of dollars are sent to the states each year, so we need to be sure to get our proper share.
So how do you count 310 million people? Very carefully! That's what the federal government will be doing over the next few weeks, as it will send out questionnaires and almost 1.4 million field census workers to make sure that everyone is counted.
When the first U.S. Census was conducted in 1790 the population of the United States was an estimated 3,929,000. Back then, the census takers only got the names of the heads of households and a general accounting of the other household members. This was the manner in which the country's first six censuses were conducted, up until 1850, when all household members were named. It wasn't until 1850 that slave schedules were included in the census.
With today's powerful computers, meaningful data is more easily gleaned from the census, but one thing hasn't changed over the last two hundred years. The success of the census still requires that everyone participate. And that means everyone, legal or illegal. Legal status is not the point. Getting counted is.
The 2010 census questionnaire is shorter than those in decades past. Because the American Community Survey is conducted every year, the longer questions on how we live are covered under that effort. You'll only need to give your name, sex, race, ethnicity, relationship, and whether you are a renter or an owner.
In many areas, the questionnaire packet will get to you via the U.S. Postal Service between March 15 and 17. Areas not covered by the mailings will get a visit from census workers between March 1 and 31st. In the packet will be an initial questionnaire, cover letter, and return envelope.
"The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of 10 years, in such manner as they shall by Law direct." - Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States
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