Washington, D.C. — On the eve of the 2020 Census, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is reminding households in Colorado that they will soon receive invitations to participate in the count. This year households will have the option to respond online, by mail, or by phone, making it easier than ever for Coloradans to participate.

“The 2020 Census will help determine almost every federal dollar we receive in Colorado, which will affect the amount of money allocated to state and county programs,” said Bennet. “The census is vital to ensuring Coloradans and people across the country, especially those in communities who have been historically undercounted, receive the resources and representation they deserve. In the coming days, I urge every household to participate in the 2020 Census.”

Every ten years as mandated by the Constitution, the U.S. Census counts each person living in the United States to decide how federal resources should be distributed and how many congressional districts each state should have. Consequently, a low response rate in Colorado will negatively affect the amount of money allotted to programs such as Medicaid, housing vouchers, and nutritional assistance. It could also negatively affect the number of Colorado’s representatives in Congress.

Federal law prohibits any government or law enforcement agency besides the U.S. Census Bureau from accessing personal information provided in the census. Participating in the census is safe and secure and the survey will not include a citizenship question. Information provided in the census is used solely to count the population, determine representation in Congress, and allocate federal resources for a range of programs.

Earlier this month, Bennet wrote an op-ed in El Comercio de Colorado urging participation in the census by all of Colorado’s communities. He also addressed attempts by the Trump Administration to discourage participation in the census, by stoking fear in immigrant communities and attempting to add a politically-motivated question about citizenship status to the survey, which the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional. Bennet wrote a similar op-ed last April, and two months later, Bennet joined 28 senators in calling on Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to remove the citizenship question from the census.

Bennet urges all Coloradans to fill out the census when they receive their invitation to participate in the mail. For more information about the census, visit: www.2020census.gov.