Census Bureau sheds light on 'deadline'

Julia Reynolds
April 2, 2010

So when exactly is your census form due?

The U.S. Census Bureau has clarified that April 1 was not the deadline for mailing in its forms, as many believed.

All around the country, officials promoting "Census Day" told media outlets that if residents didn't mail in their questionnaires by Thursday, they would receive a visit from a census taker.

Actually, officials say, Census Day was really a "target date" promoted around the nation to urge people to return their mail-in forms.

Late Thursday, the Census Bureau posted an announcement on its Web site, saying "the Census Bureau will continue to accept 2010 Census questionnaires by mail through mid-April."

There is no exact deadline, officials confirmed Thursday, and residents can mail in their forms through this month, said Sal Ramirez, a regional technician for the Census Bureau in Salinas.

The Herald received a number of calls Thursday from concerned Monterey County residents who had not received their questionnaires in the mail by April 1.

Residents who have not received forms by April 12 are urged to call the Census Bureau on or after that date.

Ramirez said May 1 is the official date when visits are scheduled to begin to residences whose returned mail-in forms were not received by the bureau. It's best if forms are received before April 25, he said, although they may still be counted all the way to April 30.

Besides being promoted as Census Day, April 1 was the cut-off date for residency, meaning wherever a person lived on that date will be considered his or her residence for census purposes, Ramirez said.

Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, said Thursday that he will be in Salinas on Monday to promote census participation, noting that Monterey County's participation rates have lagged slightly behind state and national averages.

"Ensuring an accurate count for the Central Coast is important to make sure the region gets its share of federal dollars for schools, transportation, emergency services and many other key programs," Farr said in a statement.

By late Thursday, Census officials announced the national participation rate for returning the surveys was 54 percent. In 2000, the final participation rate was 72 percent.

California's participation rate stood at 51 percent by day's end Thursday, and Monterey County reached 50 percent — up three points from the day before. The county also achieved a total of 72 percent participation in 2000.

Julia Reynolds can be reached at 648-1187 or jreynolds@montereyherald.com.

Haven't received

a form yet?

If you have not received your census form by April 12, call one of these numbers:

¥ 866-872-6868, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day through the end of July

¥ 866-928-2010 Spanish language

¥ 866-783-2010 TDD (Telephone Display Device for the hearing impaired)

¥ For phone numbers for other languages and for more information, including help answering the questionnaire, see http://2010.census.gov

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