One of the census workers who will be in Magnolia wanted us to pass this note along to readers so you will know what they are up to in the next few weeks.
I wanted to let you know that a group of Census workers, including myself, just started working in Magnolia on Wednesday, April 28th. You’ll see us in the neighborhood over the next several weeks. We all carry US Department of Commerce/Census badges with our names and ID numbers. If anyone wants to verify our employment before speaking to us, they can call the Seattle Local Census Office at 206-501-4141.
The name of our operation is "Non-Response Follow-Up." The Census Bureau mailed forms to all US households about six weeks ago, and about 75% were completed and returned. We’ll be calling on the households whose forms have not yet been received. We’re a friendly and efficient group, and only need an average of ten minutes to complete an in-person interview. If we stop by when no one is home, we’ll leave a small paper notice near your door with contact information. We can then complete the interview by phone or in person.
The Census has taken place every ten years since 1790. The US Constitution (Article I, Section 2) mandates it to determine how many seats each state has in the US House of Representatives. Local, state and federal government agencies use it to distribute $400 billion in programs – that’s our taxes coming back to us for services we need, from education to transportation.
All personal information is kept confidential and is not shared with any other group or government agency. Census workers can be imprisoned for 5 years and fined $250,000 for disclosure. If asked, please take a few minutes to help Census workers complete this important work. Thank you, Valerie Hogan
