Census Needs Employees to Survey Their Communities
The decennial census is a cornerstone of American democracy, providing foundational information for democratically distributing power, money and justice.
The census determines political representation in the U.S. House and state legislatures, shaping how more than $700 billion in federal funds are returned to state and local governments each year.
Census data also underpins the administration of justice, making sure everyone receives the rights they’re entitled to, and provides key insights necessary for commercial and industrial investment.
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said the census is used to determine where schools, highways, firehouses and police precincts are placed. Medicaid dollars and other pillars of the state budget are also driven by the census, so the governor urged citizens to do their part by participating.
“Don’t procrastinate,” Ricketts encouraged the public in remarks following the opening of an area census office in Nebraska. “Do it right away, so you know you’re doing your part.”
The Lincoln-based office opened Tuesday, Oct. 15, and will serve as the hub for the Constitutionally mandated decennial census for the state of Nebraska.
Dennis Johnson, deputy regional director of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Denver Region, said getting Nebraska’s count right is a big deal and must be a priority for the state’s residents and leaders.
Johnson said Nebraskans also need to step up to serve as census workers, so they can assist their neighbors in being counted.
“When our founders, the nation’s founders, put this together, they talked about something being of the people, for the people and most importantly by the people” Johnson said. “The census is not taken by me. The census is taken by you and your neighbors and the people in your community.”
Nebraska Area Census Office Manager Mark Allensworth said the state will have an estimated 2,700 jobs and hopes to consider about 17,000 applicants for those jobs across Nebraska.
Allensworth said starting pay varies from $13.50 to $17.50 an hour. A background check would be required, but Johnson encouraged anyone to apply who is 18 or older and a U.S. citizen.
Johnson said the first major operation for the census had to be completed with fewer employees.
“We have concerns,” Johnson said. “There aren’t a lot of people out there who are looking.”
The Census Bureau wants people, such as students, retirees and homemakers, to seek a temporary job as a census worker.
“The challenge that we have, and that I’m asking your help on, is getting the word to those folks, letting them know that they want to work for me. That’s going to be an important part of it,” he said.
Jeffrey P. Gold, chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska at Omaha, encouraged college students in particular to apply to become census workers.
“We need you to work for us, to be part of the census team,” he said. “We want to be the highest participation state in the United States, and I can commit to you that the students of this great campus and the entire university system are going to stand side-by-side to make that happen.”
Next year will be the first time the decennial census will collect answers online, although traditional methods will also be used.
Johnson said there won’t be a question about citizenship, and that data collected will be protected – with individuals and households never associated with the personal data that they provide.
“You can rest secured there is safety,” Johnson said.
Anne Branigan, senior vice president of the Greater Omaha Chamber, said census data is used to draw investment in Omaha and to improve the local economy.
“Businesses continue to depend on the census information to make important decisions,” Branigan said. “The census data continues to be one of our best sources of information as an organization.”
For more on becoming a census worker, visit 2020census.org/jobs. Additional information on the 2020 Census in Nebraska can be found at bit.ly/35WYxBB.
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