[Archived] City of Alexandria Prepares for 2020 U.S. Census, Seeks Applicants for Complete Count Committee

For Immediate Release: October 9, 2018

As part of the City of Alexandria’s planning to promote an accurate count of the city’s population in the 2020 U.S. Census, interested residents are encouraged to apply to join the Alexandria Complete Count Committee.

Established by City Council in September, the Committee will work with City staff to develop and implement an outreach strategy focused on engaging with communities that have been historically undercounted or underrepresented. The first meeting of the Committee is anticipated to be held in March 2019, with monthly meetings occurring throughout 2019 and bimonthly meetings occurring between January 2020 and April 2020.

Applications or nominations are being sought for members representing community-based organizations and nonprofits, neighborhood civic associations, or any organizations that could assist in this effort. The City is seeking committee members who have experience working with historically undercounted communities, have knowledge of how these communities perceive government entities, work directly with or are trusted messengers in these communities, and/or can speak Amharic, Spanish or Arabic in addition to English.

The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to conduct a national census every 10 years. The next census will reflect the population as of April 1, 2020. To make the Census as accurate as possible, the U.S. Census Bureau partners with local governments to establish complete count committees to encourage residents to participate in the Census. Census data is primarily used to apportion seats in the U.S. House of Representatives; redraw federal, state, and local election districts; distribute more than $675 billion federal dollars to state and local governments; provide statistical support for grant applications; and help communities plan for future needs.

Federal law requires participation in the Census; requires Census data to be kept strictly confidential for 72 years; and prohibits the U.S. Census Bureau from sharing data with law enforcement, immigration, tax, or any other government agencies, private organizations or individuals.

The deadline to submit an application to join the Complete Count Committee is 5 p.m. on November 7. To submit an application, or for more information about the Complete Count Committee and the U.S. Census 2020, visit alexandriava.gov/Census2020.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, email graciela.moreno@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.3808, Virginia Relay 711.