City/County Kick-Off 2020 Census Complete Count Committee

April 23, 2019

Today the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County held a joint kick-off for the 2020 Complete Count Committee. The Committee is focused on ensuring a complete count of all residents who live in the city of Albuquerque or county of Bernalillo during the upcoming federal 2020 Census. The Committee will work with various communities in the city and county, as well as groups and associations of all sorts, to form partnerships, identify resources and develop an effective outreach strategy, with a primary focus on hard-to-count populations.

These committees have played a major role in raising awareness of the Census and encouraging people to fill out and turn in their Census questionnaire since 1980. Complete Count Committees are volunteer groups who aim to increase awareness and motivate people to respond to the Decennial Census. As such, these committees are generally organized to reach out to hard-to-count populations who have the most to lose with an under count. The United States Constitution requires that every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau count every person in the nation.

A successful and accurate count of the Decennial Census is important for state and local governments as many federally funded programs use the population counts to allocate funding. An under count will negatively impact the entire state of New Mexico and important programs like Medicaid, SNAP, highways & transportation, education & childcare programs, and affordable housing programs. The city and county will lose $3,000 per uncounted person per year, which translates to $30,000 for one person over the 10-year census period. The Census count also determines the boundaries and number of representatives allocated to communities in the House of Representatives, the state legislature, and a number of other elected bodies.

“It is imperative for all to Burqueños to fill out their 2020 Census.” said Mayor Keller. “The results will have a real impact on the lives of children, seniors, and families right here in our community. We formed the Complete Count Committee in partnership with Bernalillo County to communicate with residents about the importance of filling out a Census survey. We know there is uncertainty surrounding citizenship questions and challenges with the push toward a web-based survey. If you have concerns or face obstacles—please, reach out. It’s too important not to count.”

“We want everyone to come forward and be counted,” says Bernalillo County Special Projects and Census 2020 Coordinator Bernadette Miera.  “This new count system presents its challenges, but this is a very important step in securing those all-important federal monies used to fund programs for all city and county residents.”

• The committee will work toward ensuring that everyone is counted from April 2019 – July 2020.
• Meetings will be held monthly, participants will form subcommittees focusing on specific hard-to-count populations.

If you have questions or interest in  serving on the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Census 2020 Complete Count Committee, please contact Brittany Ortiz at [email protected] or Bernadette Miera at [email protected].

Apply to serve on the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Census 2020 Complete Count Committee at cabq.gov/census2020. Applicants will be asked to fill out an online application, provide a resume, and complete a background check.