Editor:
Every 10 years we receive a set of questions that affects everyone in our community for the next decade. The U.S. Census Bureau has distributed the 2020 Census forms in Ohkay Owingeh and surrounding communities, and we have an opportunity to shape our future when we complete these forms.
We cannot wait. The U.S. Census Bureau has pushed up the deadline to respond to the 2020 Census to Sept. 30. We urge each household to please complete their census forms.
Here, in Rio Arriba County, the impact of census data is everywhere — our housing, our health centers, our Head Start, Medicaid, school lunches and Pell Grant Scholarships. All these and more are affected by the census.
Responding to the census is a simple way for us to improve our lives. You can fill it out online at my2020census.gov, you can mail it in, you can call it in at 844-330-2020 or you can talk to a census taker when they knock on your door.
If you have questions about the form, there are local Complete Count Committees that can help you. Please contact them – they can help you with the process that is estimated to only take about 10 minutes.
We can all easily make a positive impact with the completion of the 2020 Census. We’re “counting” on you.
Ron Lovato
Governor, Ohkay Owingeh