2020 Census operations extended due to COVID-19

The 2020 Census count is underway and households are encouraged to respond online, by mail and by phone. However, due to challenges brought about by COVID-19, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting its operations to protect public safety and facilitate a fair and accurate count.

On Monday, the Census Bureau announced that field operations will be suspended until June 1 and issued a request to Congress to delay its statutory reporting deadlines for apportionment and redistricting by 120 days.

Key changes include:

• Self-Response Phase of online, phone and mailed responses will run until October 31, 2020
• Field Offices at Peak Operations for area offices in Atlanta, DeKalb, Douglasville, Gwinnett and Gainesville, temporarily closed on March 1, to be staffed and ready for peak data collection operations on June 1, 2020
• Nonresponse Followup (NRFU) which includes in-person interviews of households shifted to August 11 – October 31
• Deliver Apportionment Counts to the President by April 30, 2021
• Deliver Redistricting Counts to States by July 31, 2020

See Census Bureau Revised Schedule for more details and a support statement by former Census Bureau Directors. Note, some operations like counting people in shelters and the Mobile Questionnaire Assistance, intended to assist those in gathering places with online responses – are still under review.

The Community Foundation, our partners and grantees will continue to support and monitor the implementation of the 2020 Census, especially among populations who were historically undercounted in 2010, such as low-income children birth to five, African American men and immigrants.

There is so much at stake for getting this population count right. The 2020 Census data will be used for the next 10 years for federal funding allocations to Georgia (SNAP, Medicaid and Section 8 Vouchers), our number of representatives in Congress and how state legislative and school districts lines are drawn.

We must support both public health and safety and a fair and accurate count in Georgia.