Did you hear? This year, the census will be online!

Your census invitation, complete with a unique identifier, will arrive in the mail between March 12 – 20.

The Constitution mandates a complete count of residents (not just citizens) every 10 years.

Your participation is key because the Census affects up to $900 billion in grants, direct payments, loans, and loan guarantees that the federal government distributes annually to states and individuals.

ProTip: nonEnglish responses drive translation requirements for local governments. Example: if 5% of all county responses are in Spanish, then the county must provide official notices and documents (say, ballots) in English and Spanish in the years following the census.

If you or someone you know does not have a smart phone or computer with online access, many local libraries (including Ellensburg Public Library and CWU’s Brooks Library) provide computers for residents to use.

You can read about census facts vs myths here. Learn more about the census and why it’s important (including some short YouTube videos in English and Spanish) on our Hot Issues webpage.