IN Peters Township December 2019/January 2020 | Page 14

All households will receive Census forms in March 2020. An accurate and timely response from our residents is critical to
helping Peters Township in a multitude of ways.
CENSUS 101: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The 2020 Census is closer than you think!
Here’s a quick refresher of what it is and why it’s essential that everyone is counted.
Everyone
counts.
The census
counts every
person living in
the U.S. once,
only once, and in
the right place.
It’s about fair
representation.
It’s in the
constitution.
Every 10 years,
the results of the
census are used to
reapportion the
House of
Representatives,
determining how
many seats each
state gets.
The U.S. Constitution mandates
that everyone in the country be
counted every 10 years. The first
census was in 1790.
It’s about
$675 billion.
It’s about
redistricting.
After each decade’s census, state
officials redraw the boundaries of the
congressional and state legislative
districts in their states to account for
population shifts.
The distribution of
more than $675 billion
in federal funds,
grants and support to
states, counties and
communities are
based on census data.
That money is spent on
schools, hospitals,
roads, public works and
other vital programs.
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PETERS TOWNSHIP
Taking part is
your civic duty.
Completing the census
is mandatory: it’s a way
to participate in our
democracy and say
“I COUNT!”