Prince George’s County is collaborating with the U.S. Census Bureau to form a Complete Count Committee in an effort to count its population as accurately as possible on census day April 1. “It is very important for several reasons,” said Jordan Baucum Colbert, the outreach coordinator of the committee. The census affects a community’s political representation, federal funding and economic prospects, since counts determine how many Congressional seats will be allocated to Maryland for the next decade, as well as the funding communities will receive for various federal programs and infrastructure projects. An undercount can greatly cost a community. “For every person that does not respond within Prince George’s County the county will lose approximately $1,825 per person, per year,” said James Cannistra, chief of the Information Management Division of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. “So, over a 10-year period that’s $18,250 in federal funding.” The Census Bureau also lends information to businesses that helps guide their decisions on where to enterprise, according to Baucum Colbert. Though an accurate count is important, it is not always easy. Greenbelt is considered a hardto-count area, though it “is not necessarily the hardest within Prince George’s County,” Baucum Colbert said. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 2010, 6,513 in Greenbelt people were classified as hard to count. The hard-to-count include young children, homeless people, undocumented immigrants, group housing, non-English speakers, veterans and those with special needs. Baucum Colbert says the committee, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and facilitators, work at locations with hardto-count populations “to ensure that those residents are counted.” “We and the Census Bureau and a lot of the participants in the Complete Count Committee at the local level … are really focusing on education and outreach within those hard-to-count communities in order to make the Census Bureau’s job a little easier and smoother,” Cannistra said. Baucum Colbert noted that some privacy concerns and the current political climate may cause people to pause in responding to the census. “However, we want to change that narrative,” she said. She says no person should worry about persecution in filling out the census form, including undocumented immigrants – there will not be a citizenship question on the survey. Further, there is a $250,000 fine and/or up to five years in prison for any Census Bureau staff who shares any person’s personal information from the census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2010 – the last time the census was taken – Prince George’s County had an estimated undercount rate of 2.3 percent, while nationally there was an overcount rate of about 0.01 percent. The Complete County Committee, formed by the county in partnership with the federal government, attempts to mitigate this error for 2020. “Based on last year’s efforts and this year’s efforts, we are hoping that number goes down,” said Baucum Colbert. Greenbelt residents can expect to receive an invitation to participate in the census from mid-March to April 1, and can respond online, by phone or by mail.
