Bellevue College residence halls participation within the Census 2020 will be completed within a master roster form on behalf of students of the H- building, door-to-door surveys may also be provided.
IMPORTANT:
All field offices are suspending their operations until April 1st. Here are the details. . All members of the Bellevue College community are encouraged to self-respond to the Census online or by phone from the safety of their own residence.
More information available on the Census Website. Click here to learn more.
Why We Do a Census
It is in the Constitution Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution
If you are living in the United States, then your household is required to respond to the U.S. Census. That means counting everyone, regardless of age or status. Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a population count of everyone living in the United States. Data from the census provides the basis for distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to communities across the country to support vital programs.
Appointment, Redistricting, Distribution of Funds
Washington currently has 10 Representatives; an under-count means we may lose representation. For every person not counted, the community loses $2,300 of federal funding per year, so $20,000 in the decade between counts
2020 Response Rate Map – See the progress of the self-responses provided to Census.
Collecting accurate information on everyone who lives in Washington is important to the future of our state, ensuring we receive our fair share of federal dollars for vital community programs. In 2016 alone, Washington received $16.7 billion in federal assistance, based on data collected during the 2010 census. The census also determines the number of representatives each state has in Congress, which can make a difference when it comes to issues important to Washingtonians. In 2010, due to the state’s population growth, it gained a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Internet Self Response:
- English
- Spanish
- Chinese (Simp.)
- Vietnamese
- Korean
- Russian
- Arabic
- Tagalog
- Polish
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Portuguese
- Japanese
Language Card and Guides: (More details available by clicking here)
- English
- Spanish
- Chinese (Simp.)
- Vietnamese
- Korean
- Russian
- Arabic
- Tagalog
- Polish
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Portuguese
- Japanese
- Italian
- Farsi
- German
- Armenian
- Hindi
- Ukrainian
- Bengali
- Greek
- Amharic
- Somali
- Thai
- Gjurati
- Khmer
- Nepali
- Urdu
- Romanian
- Telugu
- Burmese
- Punjabi
- Lao
- Hmong
- Albanian
- Turkish
- Bosnian
- Tamil
- Navajo
- Hungarian
- Hebrew
- Malayalam
- Swahili
- Yiddish
- Indonesia
- Serbian
- Tigrinya
- Ilocano
- Dutch
- Croatian
- Bulgarian
- Twi
- Lithuanian
- Yoruba
- Czech
- Igbo
- Marathi
- Sinhala
- Slovak
- American Sign Language
Paper Form or Enumerators or Mailed Items:
- English
- Spanish
Language Guides: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/planning-management/language-resources/language-guides.html
- March 12 – 20: Initial mailing sent to homes
- March 16 – April 3: Two reminder mailings sent to homes
- April 1: Census Day!
- April 8 – 30 (UPDATED): Fourth mailing, with a paper questionnaire, sent to homes
- April 27 – May 9 (UPDATED): Final mailing sent to homes
- August 11 – October 31 (UPDATED): Regular non-response follow-up (personal visits from Census employees)
- September 3 – 28 (UPDATED): Counts in RV parks, hotels, marinas, campgrounds, homeless shelters, and assisted living facilities
- September 30 (UPDATED): Count ends
- December 31: State population counts and congressional apportionment sent to President
UPDATED means it was changed to reflect new dates provided by Census as of 4/30/2020.
It Will Ask for:
- Address (Rent/Own)
- Phone Number
- Count of Each Person At That Address
- Name
- Gender
- Age and Date of Birth
- Race
- Hispanic, Latino or Spanish
- Origin
- Whether Someone Lives
- Somewhere Else
- Relationship
It Doesn’t Ask for:
- Social Security Numbers
- Bank or credit card information
- Political party affiliation
- Money or Donations
- Mother’s maiden name
- Citizenship status
If someone approaches you asking for any of this information, this may be fraudulent. Ask for credentials.
Only aggregate data is reported, and all Census employees take a life-time oath to not share data.
The Census and all employees are prohibited from releasing personal information to any person or organization, including government agencies.
Records are confidential for 72 years.
U.S. Code Title 13: (https://www.census.gov/history/www/reference/privacy_confidentiality/title_13_us_code.html)
Title 13 provides the following protections to individuals and businesses:
- Private information is never published. It is against the law to disclose or publish any private information that identifies an individual or business such, including names, addresses (including GPS coordinates), Social Security Numbers, and telephone numbers.
- The Census Bureau collects information to produce statistics. Personal information cannot be used against respondents by any government agency or court.
- Census Bureau employees are sworn to protect confidentiality. People sworn to uphold Title 13 are legally required to maintain the confidentiality of your data. Every person with access to your data is sworn for life to protect your information and understands that the penalties for violating this law are applicable for a lifetime.
- Violating the law is a serious federal crime. Anyone who violates this law will face severe penalties, including a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
In the second half of March, you should receive a card in your mail with information on how to complete the census. If you don’t complete the card by the end of April, then field workers (Enumerators) will visit your house.
- Internet
- Toll-free Number (14 languages available and TTD, click here to find the right number)
- Paper
- Enumerators (field workers) may come to your house
More details are available at: https://my2020census.gov/
Starting in early May, Census field workers will visit households that have not responded online, over the phone, or via the paper questionnaire. Bellevue College encourages all students, faculty, and staff to complete the Census before the start of May.
Census field workers that may follow-up with households during Non-Response Follow-ups.
All Census Field Workers will have:
- Census Phone and Laptop with a Watermark
- Wearing a Badge with Photo ID and Name
- Census Bag with a Large Logo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOSl4sc3Ts4#action=share
You should ask for the Badge and Photo ID of to ensure their identity. You may call 1-800-923-8282 and/or visit the Census Verification Worker Website to verify a person.
Put simply, the “Residence” is where you live and sleep most of the time. “Residents” are those who live and sleep most of the time in the same residence.
Here are some examples:
- I live with family, and so will be counted with the other residents of that home.
- I live most of the year in the college’s residence halls, and so I will be counted in March with the other students living there.
- I live with roommates for most of the year, and so I will be counted with them. I can fill out the Census for us all, or they can give their information later by reentering our address.
- I am attending Bellevue College on a visa. I will still be counted based on where I live and sleep most of the time. Visiting family or friends from my home country will not be counted.
- I have a baby and a toddler. I will count both of them as residents.
- I do not have stable housing. If I am staking in a shelter or official encampment, I will be counted sometime between March 30 and April 1. Otherwise, I will complete the Census online or over the phone.
- 2020 Eastside Census: http://eastsidecensus.org/
- King County Census: https://kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/constantine/priorities/census.aspx
- US Census Bureau: https://www.census.gov/
- Fighting 2020 Census Rumors Page: https://2020census.gov/en/news-events/rumors.html
If you have any questions please email your questions to: gilbert.villalpando@bellevuecollege.edu
Last Updated February 28, 2023
