- April 1, 2010
Sen. Carper’s Statement on Census Day 2010
WASHINGTON (Apr. 1, 2010) – Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Census Bureau, released the following statement on Census Day 2010.
“Today is Census Day; today is your day to stand up and be counted. Today, the Census Bureau will officially embark upon what many have described as the largest peacetime mobilization in American history. The task is not easy; the Census Bureau must find and count nearly 300 million individuals in the correct location. Census taking has become even more challenging in recent years as our nation’s population has grown steadily larger, more diverse and increasingly difficult to find. We need your help to ensure that this process is accurate and cost-effective.
“Filling out your Census form is fast, easy and safe. In about 10 minutes you can help your community receive proper federal funding for its highways, hospitals and schools. Your participation can also help the government save billions of dollars. For every one percent of the population that does not respond to the Census, taxpayers will pay $85 million to send census workers door to door to ensure those individuals are counted.
“During the last census, in 2000, significant progress was made in improving response rates and reducing the number of Americans who went uncounted. Despite this success, undercounting remained a problem in some communities. The Census Bureau’s own data revealed that more than 3 million people were missed. We can do better, and we need to.Please do your part; send back your Census form and be counted.”