Letter to the Editor: Windham County census response rate at only 45%

We, your Windham County legislators, are writing to urge you to complete the census questionnaire.

Windham County, with a high number of engaged and active citizens, currently has an embarrassingly low response rate of 45%. This is one of the lowest response rates of all the 14 counties in Vermont!

By contrast, Chittenden County, that includes the city of Burlington, has the highest rate at 72%.

Why is it important to get an accurate and comprehensive census count?

The census determines the amount of federal funding that comes to our state and community. This affects many public services, such as funding for schools, hospitals, health care, etc. The census also affects representation in Congress and the delineation of legislative districts in the state.

By some estimates, Vermont could lose $4,000 per person per year from a census undercount. If we estimate the population of Windham County to be 40,000 people, and only 50% register for the census, then the county could lose $80 million dollars per year, each year in a 10-year period. This is a more than significant loss.

People who have concerns about sharing their information should know that federal law protects your responses. Census Bureau employees face fines of $250,000 or imprisonment for wrongful disclosure. No law enforcement agency can access your personal information.

The data collected can only be used for statistical purposes.

You can easily complete the census online at https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-online.html

However you can also respond by mail or by phone.

Here are directions to respond by mail: https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-by-mail.html

Or to respond by phone: https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond/responding-by-phone.html

If you don’t have access to the internet you can just call this number: 844-330-2020. Customer service representatives are available at that number and can also help direct you to language support if needed.

Census workers are also beginning to restart door knocking on unresponsive homes. These in-person interviews will end on Sept. 30.

Responding to the census is a civic duty. Please do so now, if you haven’t already. And please contact any one of us if you need assistance.

Jeanette White, Becca Balint, Sara Coffey, Emilie Kornheiser, Mollie Burke, Tristan Toleno, Carolyn Partridge, Kelly Tully, Nader Hashim, Emily Long, John Gannon, Kelly Pajala and Laura Sibilia

Windham County, Vt.