April 1 came and went with COVID-19 stealing the headlines but organizers of the 2020 U.S. Census are hoping to remind Alaskans that the filing period is open.
Tim Dillon, executive director of the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, is the census coordinator for the borough. He said everyone should have gotten their census form by now if they get mail at their home. He’s asking residents to submit their information online.
“The census has pulled back all of the enumerators at this stage, nobody’s knocking on doors or visiting communities or anything, so what we’re doing is getting people to go online. They just need to go to my2020census.gov and fill it out. It’s 10 questions, less than 10 minutes and it’s over 10 years worth of funding,” Dillon said.
The online form might ask for a pin number or code but Dillon said you can just click past that part.
Census numbers are used to divvy up funding for governmental programs.
“And when you start looking at the situation we’re all in right now with the pandemic, we’re going to need every extra penny we can get out of the federal government for our recovery and to rebuild things and all,” he said. “This is funding for the next 10 years. So to be able to make sure everybody is counted is extremely important.”
Dillon said that the response rate for the U.S. so far is about 48 percent. The borough is at 18.3 percent. Among communities, Soldotna is in the lead with 39.5 percent, followed by Kenai at 36.7 percent and Homer at 27.4 percent.
“My friends over in Seward gotta do a little better job right now. We’ve been hounding them. They’re at 14.5. And then across the bay over in Seldovia, they’re at 5.2. So we have been talking to folks on a daily basis trying to get them to go online and get it done,” he said.
Dillon said the census website is secure and all information is confidential.
“There are all sorts of penalties for sharing any of the information, whether as an individual or as an organization, so it’s all confidential. If you’ve applied for the permanent fund, you’ve already given the government more information than you will be asked for in the census,” he said.
People who applied to do fieldwork could still be put to work later this year, perhaps fall or early winter. Dillon said it’s on a first-called, first-hired basis, so make sure you answer your phone if you’ve applied and are interested in working.
Anyone without internet access or who has difficulty completing the census online can do so over the phone. Dillon’s office can help. Call 907-242-9709.
