2020 Census deadline approaches following extension

Reporter: Gail Levy
Published: Updated:
United States Census illustration. (Credit: MGN)
Credit: MGN

Every 10 years, our country recounts the population through the census. This process helps our state and local leaders provide needs for you and your family.

Complications to complete the 2020 Census has caused the deadline to be extended, but we might not get any more time to complete it.

Make yourself count: We’ve been hearing it call year and census takers have been knocking on doors hoping to get an accurate count.

After Monday, that all stops unless a judge orders an extension. As of now, the deadline to fill out the 2020 Census is Monday night at 11:59 p.m.

The easiest way at this point is to fill out the survey online. To fill out that questionnaire, click here and allow yourself 10 minutes.

It’s critical we get an accurate count in Southwest Florida. The more people we have, the more federal funding we get for schools, highways and even hurricane disaster relief.

Our population also determines how many representatives Florida sends to congress.

So how are we doing with two days to go?

“You know in the Fort Myers area, you have a lot of seasonal housing, so that attributes to a low self-response rate and we have to verify that those homes were vacant as of April 1. But at this point, I am very pleased with the results that we’re getting in the area,” said Marilyn Stephens, assistant regional census manager.

Florida’s self-response rate is more than 63% of the population, so we have work to do. The census also determines how many votes Florida has in the electoral college which, as we have seen, can determine who is president.

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