April 30, 2010
2010 Census enters door-to-door phase
LANSING - The state of Michigan finished as one of the top five states in mail-participation rate for the 2010 Census. With a total of 77 percent of Michigan households returning the census form, Michigan is among the elite states, finishing with the fifth best mail-participation rate in the country. The final tally for the nationwide rate was 72 percent.
The 2010 Census now enters the important phase of door-to-door enumeration, where census takers will begin the task of knocking on doors to obtain census responses in person from those households that failed to return a form. Officials are encouraging citizens to open their doors to the census takers.
"I commend the Michigan citizens who took the time to mail back their form so that Michigan will get its share of more than $400 billion in federal funding," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "It's now critical that we get the rest of the state counted as census takers go door to door."
Starting May 1, hundreds of thousands of census takers across the country will begin visiting the households that did not return a census form. Citizens can call 1-866-872-6868 (toll free) to provide their information over the phone. For every person in Michigan not counted, the state loses $10,000 in federal funds over the next 10 years.
"For those who did not mail back a form, it's time to open your doors to the census takers," said Lt. Governor John D. Cherry. "There are only 10 questions, and it takes only a few minutes to provide the needed information to ensure Michigan gets its fair share of funding."
Earlier this month, Governor Granholm placed a friendly wager with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland in an effort to encourage 100 percent participation from Michigan citizens in the 2010 U.S. Census. The state with the higher mail-participation rate was to donate a specimen of their state tree for planting in a spot chosen by the state with the lower mail-participation rate. Because the challenge ended in a tie, it was decided that each state would plant their state tree on Arbor Day in honor of the wager. A Michigan White Pine was planted today at Potter Park in Lansing.
ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS
The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States and is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Census data is used to apportion congressional seats to states, to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to tribal, state and local governments each year, and to make decisions about what community services to provide. The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest in U.S. history, consisting of 10 questions, taking about 10 minutes to complete. Strict confidentiality laws protect the respondents and the information they provide.
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