Town Of Davidson Partners With News Of Davidson To Encourage Census Participation

Press release from the Town of Davidson:

April 29, 2020

The Town of Davidson and online news source News of Davidson have partnered to publish “Census Stories.” This series of articles will feature Davidson residents who have completed the 2020 Census along with the reasons they think it is important to participate. The hope is to get more Davidson residents filling out the questionnaire, whether that’s online or over the phone.

What follows is News of Davidson’s “Census Stories- Chapter One.” For more information about the 2020 Census and to complete the questionnaire, go to www.2020census.gov.

We are starting this effort with stories from our elected officials – the Mayor and Town Board.

We asked each of them to tell us why it is important to complete the 2020 Census, and these are their responses:

Mayor Rusty Knox

The 2020 Census has taken on a dynamically different level of importance to us due to Covid-19. Over the next decade the importance of accounting our populous will mean securing necessary assistance on both State and Federal levels in a vast array of programming to help us in righting the course that the country is currently on. It’s really so simple to answer the Census knowing that the 10 minutes you spend is 10 years of impact.

Commissioner Jane Campbell

We completed the 2020 Census in order to be counted. It sounds simple enough, but this year’s census seems to be anything but simple. Our town, our region, and our state rely on people filling out the census to ensure we have the proper representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and that we receive our proportion of federal funding. Bottom line, it’s our civic duty and I ask everyone in Davidson to complete the 2020 Census.

Commissioner Matthew Fort

I filled out the Census because I believe everyone’s voice matters. If you do not complete the census, you will not be counted towards valuable data that is used for public improvement strategies, businesses locate potential new markets, 911 emergency system maps, and many other things that can help to improve your overall quality of life. Completing the census is another way of letting your voice be heard!

Commissioner Jim Fuller

Years ago, I had the pleasure of being in Professor Griffin’s Econ 1 class. On the first day, he indicated that we would be studying the allocation of resources in a market economy. This census, and in fact every census for more than 200 years, has helped our country, state, and region allocate resources – from roads and facilities to government benefits. The census helps determine the formulas for the allocation of important resources – formulas that give everyone a fair share. To ensure that everyone in Davidson is part of that fair share calculation – I encourage all our neighbors to complete the 2020 Census.

Commissioner Autumn Rierson Michael

The Census only comes once in a decade and is just so important. It is used to determine the number of House seats we have in NC, in addition to how billions of dollars in federal programs are spent. It only takes a few minutes to fill out and be counted!

Commissioner David Sitton

The census is one of our primary tools to guide infrastructure and resources for the ensuing decade. Given the pace of change that we are experiencing, it is important that we have a whole and accurate accounting of our local demographic to inform policy makers on countless projects.

News of Davidson reminds all our readers that you can complete the 2020 Census online, over the phone (844) 330-2020, or fill out a printed copy and mail it. When the initial self-response phase wraps up, Census workers will go to the homes of residents who have not responded. They will conduct in-person interviews to complete the 2020 Census, but will only begin doing so when it is deemed safe to undertake door-to-door work.

This press release was produced by the Town of Davidson. The views expressed here are the author’s own.