The Maricopa Association of Governments launched iCount 2020, a regional campaign to educate the public on the state’s new data collecting policies and importance of the 2020 census.
The main goal of the campaign is to make sure every individual is counted so that Arizona gets the federal funding needed for programs like education and transportation.
Arizona gets around $3,000 per person counted which amounts to around $20 billion total in federal funding.
Laurie Berg Sapp, the Communication Project Manager for the Maricopa Association of Governments, said that the $2 million campaign is for raising public awareness to take part in the 2020 census.
“It’s school programs, student loans, housing, emergency services, roads. Everyone benefits from the census and it’s really important that people know that it’s coming and how they can participate,” Sapp said.
The City of Phoenix alone uses millions of dollars in federal funding to support public programs.
“For the City of Phoenix, it represents about $866 million annually in services that we actually administer as a City of Phoenix. When you look at it just from the state of Arizona, that number’s actually much larger,” Albert Santana, the City of Phoenix Census Director, said in a City of Phoenix press release. “But as a municipality, that is a very large number and very important, again, very important (for the) resources that we provide as a city.”
This is the very first year that the U.S. Census will be available online as well as through the mail and by phone. The Census Bureau said taking the census online is safe, secure and confidential according to Sapp.
“For the first time in the Census Bureau’s history, individuals will be able to now respond to a census digitally on (the) internet, whether it be on a desktop at their home as well as on a cellphone,” Santana said in the press release.
“They also have the option of being able to respond via phone, that’s a first time as well. Or if people are comfortable with how they’ve responded in the past, they will still be able to request a form and be able to respond via the paper form like they’ve done,” he said.
The campaign will be using every media medium possible to get their message out there. This includes social media platforms as well as their website, which is available in Spanish and in English.
The iCount 2020 website also provides information on the 2020 census and explains how to go about counting a household.
“We want to make sure every person is counted. So our iCount 2020 represents; I count for transportation, I count for the safety of my neighborhood. Also the little “i” represents the internet technology that this is the first time ever that you’ll be able to go online,” Sapp said. “It’s kind of a play on words that illustrates the inclusion of the internet as an option and also the importance of each individual answering that census form.”
If every individual is counted in the 2020 census, Arizona may even receive another seat in the House of Representatives.
“Arizona is one of the faster growing states so we’re projected to gain another seat in the House of Representatives,” Santana said. “That’s another reason why we have to make sure that we have an accurate count so we have proper representation at the federal level.”
The Maricopa Association of Governments also aims to reach traditionally undercounted groups which includes immigrants, children, winter residents and students according to Sapp.
“All of our member agencies have established complete count committees working with the U.S. Census Bureau. Those complete count committees can consist of business leaders, faith based organizations, community groups, schools,” Sapp said. “We know that this campaign will help, but it’s really those trusted voices talking to their neighbors to make sure that these people feel safe and comfortable in answering those questions.”
The Maricopa Association of Governments is made up of 30 member agencies which includes 27 cities and 3 Native American nations. The iCount 2020 campaign expands outside of Maricopa County as some parts of Pinal County are included in the association.
“All of our member agencies, so all of the region, county, cities and towns, and native nations, they are all behind this 110%. They very much want every single person in all those different communities to be counted. Every man, every woman, every child,” Sapp said.
“And that’s the goal of our campaign. To get everyone counted so we get our fair share of federal funding and we can help our community in so many, many ways.”
Contact the reporter at vewahl@asu.edu.
