Census Response Assistants Hit the Streets of Longmont to Raise Awareness About the U.S. Census
If you have been out and about in Longmont in the recent weeks, you may have run into Ralph Armitage and Fred Barnett visiting local businesses in their role as Census Response Assistants. Ralph and Fred, who are in their 70s and 80s respectively, have had incredible success in educating Longmont’s local business owners about the importance of completing the U.S. Census, leaving educational material behind in an effort to inform the community as a whole. 
Ralph, whose career has taken him all over the country in a variety of different industries, including software and insurance, and Fred, a former sales executive in the candy industry, met each other when they started working for the U.S. Census. After spending just a few minutes with this dynamic duo, one would assume they have been lifelong friends. As a history major at Cal State Los Angeles, Ralph has always been interested in the census and Fred’s knack for storytelling makes him the perfect fit for the job.
The duo reports that response from local businesses has been positive and almost all have been willing to hang up a poster or give out flyers to inform their customers about participating in the census, an important component to community outreach efforts. They report that while roughly 10% of people they visited weren’t aware of the census, a majority of business owners had some level of awareness and most knew of the benefits that it brings to our community.
“Since 1790, as part of the U.S. Constitution, we started to count the population every 10 years” Ralph said, when asked to give a brief history of the census. “These population data are used to determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, the funds that a community receives relies on an accurate count to fund social organizations, police, Habitat for Humanity and many other programs that communities rely on”.
A complete count is especially important for Fred and Ralph’s generation. The 65-and-over population grew by over one-third (34.2% or 13,787,022) during the past decade, and by 3.2% (1,688,924) from 2018 to 2019. In fact, older adults are projected to outnumber kids for the first time in U.S. history. Important programs that directly benefit seniors including Medicaid, Medicare Part B, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers rely on an accurate population count from the U.S. Census to determine funding.
A lesser known perk of completing the census? Genealogy. The U.S. government will not release personally identifiable information about an individual or agency until 72 years after it was collected for the decennial census. After 72 years, the records are released to the public by the National Archives and Records Administration where they are made publicly available for viewing or purchase. “I can track my relatives back to my great grandfather thanks to data collected by the U.S. Census” said Ralph. “That’s just another reason to complete your census – to make sure that your grandchildren and great grandchildren have the opportunity to learn about where they came from.”
When asked about the one thing that everyone should know about the U.S. Census, Fred said “Just do it – it takes less than 10 minutes and it’s critical to America.”
Thanks to Ralph and Fred for their important work on behalf of the U.S. Census. Enumerators have already begun visiting homes that have not yet responded. You can avoid a knock on your door by completing your census at my2020census.gov, by calling 844-330-2020 or by filling out your paper questionnaire that was mailed in mid-March. Let’s all do our part and make sure Everyone Counts in Longmont!
Ralph, whose career has taken him all over the country in a variety of different industries, including software and insurance, and Fred, a former sales executive in the candy industry, met each other when they started working for the U.S. Census. After spending just a few minutes with this dynamic duo, one would assume they have been lifelong friends. As a history major at Cal State Los Angeles, Ralph has always been interested in the census and Fred’s knack for storytelling makes him the perfect fit for the job.
The duo reports that response from local businesses has been positive and almost all have been willing to hang up a poster or give out flyers to inform their customers about participating in the census, an important component to community outreach efforts. They report that while roughly 10% of people they visited weren’t aware of the census, a majority of business owners had some level of awareness and most knew of the benefits that it brings to our community.
“Since 1790, as part of the U.S. Constitution, we started to count the population every 10 years” Ralph said, when asked to give a brief history of the census. “These population data are used to determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition, the funds that a community receives relies on an accurate count to fund social organizations, police, Habitat for Humanity and many other programs that communities rely on”.
A complete count is especially important for Fred and Ralph’s generation. The 65-and-over population grew by over one-third (34.2% or 13,787,022) during the past decade, and by 3.2% (1,688,924) from 2018 to 2019. In fact, older adults are projected to outnumber kids for the first time in U.S. history. Important programs that directly benefit seniors including Medicaid, Medicare Part B, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers rely on an accurate population count from the U.S. Census to determine funding.
A lesser known perk of completing the census? Genealogy. The U.S. government will not release personally identifiable information about an individual or agency until 72 years after it was collected for the decennial census. After 72 years, the records are released to the public by the National Archives and Records Administration where they are made publicly available for viewing or purchase. “I can track my relatives back to my great grandfather thanks to data collected by the U.S. Census” said Ralph. “That’s just another reason to complete your census – to make sure that your grandchildren and great grandchildren have the opportunity to learn about where they came from.”
When asked about the one thing that everyone should know about the U.S. Census, Fred said “Just do it – it takes less than 10 minutes and it’s critical to America.”
Thanks to Ralph and Fred for their important work on behalf of the U.S. Census. Enumerators have already begun visiting homes that have not yet responded. You can avoid a knock on your door by completing your census at my2020census.gov, by calling 844-330-2020 or by filling out your paper questionnaire that was mailed in mid-March. Let’s all do our part and make sure Everyone Counts in Longmont!
