By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — April 1 is Census Day once every ten years in America and this year, you have a simple way to get that task done.
"People can respond online at my2020census.gov," said Ryan Hvitlok with Hutchinson's Complete Count Committee. "If you do have that access code that was provided in the mailings, I believe there were two mailings that were sent out over the last couple of weeks, you can use that, but you don't have to have that."
The survey doesn't take long to complete.
"What the Census is trying to get at is how many people live in your home and their name, also their date of birth," Hvitlok said. "That's basically just so they can crosscheck to make sure they're not having any extra or duplicate responses. They ask for your phone number. That is in case they have any questions. That really is about as personal as it gets. Other than that, they're asking how is everybody in the household related? Then, they do ask a question about rental versus ownership. It's about ten questions. We say, ten questions, ten minutes."
It's important that everyone is counted only once and at their residence, so that representation and money can be allocated correctly.
"The Census is literally one of the first things in the Constitution," Hvitlok said. "It's about the fifth or sixth sentence in the Constitution. The point of it is to apportion out our representation all the way from Washington D.C., all the way down to city hall in Hutchinson, the county commission and school board, all of that."
If you aren't tech savvy, they'll still get to you. You can call 844-330-2020 or a paper form will be sent in the mail to those who haven't responded online later in the year.