At the last Monte Vista City Council meeting Luis Alvarez presented information about the 2020 census and ways to engage the community. Alvarez is a 2020 U.S. Census Partnership Specialist for the San Luis Valley.
The United States had its first census in 1790 and there have been 24 decennial (recurring every 10 years) censuses since then. Census data collection also occurs between those decennial years. During these years demographic data are collected in areas of unemployment and other areas. “The census exists between those years, but the decennial years are our big push. This is where we count everybody,” said Alvarez. One of the reasons they count people is for federal funding allocations. Alvarez shared with the council about a study done by George Washington University that showed how the funding is divided throughout the United States and Colorado based on Census findings.

Thirteen billion dollars were disbursed in 2016 based on census findings. Alvarez shared how it was important for the Valley because much of this funding goes to Medicaid, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), foster care and other  programs. All of these programs federal funding is based on census data. “We really try to get these numbers out to communities. It’s really important for communities, especially like the Valley, to get a complete count, or as big, or as accurate a count as possible. We also do it for apportionment (the determination of the proportional number of members each U.S. state sends to the House of Representatives, based on population figures,)” said Alvarez. Alvarez explained how the House of Representatives is capped at 435. Colorado has seven representatives in Washington, D.C. and the state can lose or gain representatives depending on its population. The county commissioner districts are divided similarly, and it is also how the state is apportioned . “To me this one is important. Living in a rural area, I’m always hearing how we’re not represented in Denver or D.C.” Alvarez went on to explain that by participating in the census it helps to get more representation for rural communities.

Alvarez also addressed concerns about the census and its confidentiality. He assured those in attendance that the information they receive is confidential and they only release tracked data not individual data. “If I break that rule, and I release individual data, I can get five years in prison, and up to a $250,000 fine. I don’t want to do that so I’m going to keep it to myself,” said Alvarez. He also took a census employee oath saying he would protect the data gathered by the census for life. The census does eventually release data but only after 72 years have elapsed. This is how information about ancestry can be gathered. Currently the last census to have its data information released was from 1940.

All throughout the country there are many hard to reach populations to gather data for the census records. Historically, 20 to 30 percent of San Luis Valley residents will not answer the survey. “That’s why I’m here to try to encourage trusted voices in the community to encourage those hard to count populations to engage in the census and to engage in their civic duty of completing the census questionnaire,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez also told the council that they are starting to see census scams and cautioned about what citizens should be aware of and look out for. “The census is never going to send out unsolicited emails to request participation. It’s not going to ask for Social Security numbers, bank accounts, money or donations. And we won’t contact you on behalf of a political party. We are completely apolitical. We stay away from politics because we try to build trust in our communities,” explained Alvarez.

This will be the first census ever that people will be able to respond through the internet. They will also send the census questionnaires through the mail. Some places will have the census hand delivered to doorsteps. There will also be anywhere from 6 to 7 additional mailings if you do not respond by filling out the first survey you receive. If you still do not answer, a census employee will actually come to your door with a hand-delivered census questionnaire.

The applications for census takers are now online, but if someone doesn’t have access to a computer, they can also do it on the phone. The workforce centers in both Monte Vista and Alamosa will have information as well.

Mayor Dale Becker asked Alvarez if he could clarify to make sure everyone listening understood how important it was for communities in the Valley to participate in the census. “Knowing that we are in a poor income area residents need to know how crucial this is for them based on low income energy assistance, WIC, all those programs. That’s what they need to understand that it’s going to benefit them just to spend a few minutes with you guys,” said Mayor Becker.

“It really does help our communities. There’s a lot of people in the Valley that depend on this,” said Alvarez.