• The census determines the number of seats that each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ohio is already expected to lose two seats in the House because of population trends, according to the Washington Post, and our state’s influence could be further diminished if all Ohioans are not counted.
• An undercount in our community could mean the loss of federal funds that are spent on infrastructure and services. The information the census collects helps to determine how more than $446 billion in federal funding each year is spent, the Census Bureau says. Your lack of participation in the census won’t change Washington’s spending habits, but it will ensure that your community and your state’s fair share goes elsewhere.
“The census determines the future of our state,” U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said at a Cleveland rally on March 8. “It determines the resources, services and funding we’ll have available to ensure our children grow up with the education and medical care they need. It determines the funding we’ll have to keep our communities safe and ensure our small businesses can grow.”
The Census is mandated in the U.S. Constitution (Remember that?). Do your part and fill it out.