The 2020 Census Deadline Has Been Extended So You Have More Time to Send in Your Questionnaire

Make yourself count by taking 10 minutes to fill out the very important 2020 Census questionnaire.

Photo: Enayet Raheem / Unsplash

Don’t be a slacker. The 2020 census determines Hawai‘i’s share of federal money and influences a slew of local decisions for the next 10 years.

The census was scheduled to really start rolling out on April 1. Then, something called the coronavirus threw everything off track. Now, the Census Bureau is asking Congress to allow it to change its schedule, including when new state population numbers will be delivered to Washington D.C., for possible redistribution of congressional seats and Electoral College votes.

Nationally, about half of the people who received those mailings already responded. Here’s how to make yourself count.

Go online. It’s the first time you can answer the 12 census questions digitally. Letters with sign in information went out in March. But the Hawai‘i census website says because of the impact of COVID-19, some people may not have gotten their questionnaire yet, especially anyone using a P.O. Box, because invitations are required to be hand delivered to their home. You can still complete it online, even if that letter was tossed with your junk mail, by signing in with your address. Answers are also accepted by mail or by calling 1-844-330-2020.

Door-to-door counts are delayed. The initial deadline to respond was in April. Under the new plan in front of lawmakers, it seems census workers will not start going door-to-door to track down people who didn’t respond until mid-August. Remote areas including in southeast Alaska may see visits as early as mid-June.

If you do get a call, do not disclose credit card or Social Security numbers. If anyone asks for that information, call (800) 923-8282 and report it.