Census activities in Texas and across the country are moving into high gear. Every 10 years the U.S. Bureau of the Census counts the inhabitants of the United States. This count provides not only a population total, but also information for the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, demographic studies, and the allocation of federal funding. Individual states use the results for redistricting, planning schools, hospitals, roads and more.
It is imperative that Texas receives a complete count in this year's Census. Everyone living in Texas, regardless of immigration or residency status, needs to be counted. When the Census is finished, Texas' population could number more than 20 million people, an increase of almost 20 percent. It is estimated that almost 500,000 Texans were missed during the 1990 Census. This undercount resulted in the loss of tens of millions of dollars in federal funding each year for the state.
Individual Census responses are not disclosed to the public or to other government agencies. No one except Census employees, who are sworn to secrecy, can view individual questionnaires or link a person with his or her response. Not even the President of the United States is allowed to view individual responses. In fact, Census response forms are shredded within 15 days of the information being entered in the Census Bureau's computers. No one will be deported or audited as a result of his or her Census response!
Governor George W. Bush has appointed Secretary of State Elton Bomer as the Census 2000 Ambassador. The Office of the Attorney General is committed to working with Governor Bush and Secretary Bomer to ensure that Texas accomplishes a complete count. The Office of the Attorney General has already worked on a number of programs to ensure a complete count of all Texans. The following are two of our most prominent Census programs:
- Hard-to-Enumerate Areas: You can view and print the same maps used by the Census Bureau to locate and target areas for intensive enumeration campaigns.
- LUCA - Local Update of Census Addresses: Local governments can review and correct the Census Bureau's Master Address List for their communities.
- Census Confidentiality
- Importance of the Census
- Cost of not Being Counted
- Employment Opportunities
- Language Assistance
- How to be Counted
- Ask the Attorney General newspaper column on Census issues.
Census 2000 Web sites:
