Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
In the latest back and forth to complete the 2020 Census amidst a pandemic, on Sept. 24, the U.S. District Court extended the deadline for the completion of the Census. The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in the Northern District of California, requires the Census Bureau to keep trying to count the country’s residents through Oct. 31.
Governor Bullock and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney applauded the decision to extend the deadline stating it would allow more time for a complete count of Montana’s residents.
“A complete count in the 2020 Census is a foundational part of shaping Montana’s next decade. More time will help our state regain some of the ground we’ve lost due to COVID-19 to secure our fair share of federal funding for critical things like health care, schools and roads, and to ensure our local school and voting districts accurately reflect the people who live in them. An accurate count of our residents could even amount to more representation in our democracy for Montanans. I strongly urge the federal administration not to discount entire communities in rural states like Montana and let this decision stand,” stated Governor Bullock.
Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney echoed the sentiment stating, “We are pulling out all the stops to encourage every Montanan to make sure they’re counted in this once-in-a-decade opportunity and we will take full advantage of every day we can get. With all the goal-posts moving throughout this process, it’s critical to stay focused on what’s truly important: ensuring Montanans are represented at every level of government. And that starts with a complete Census count.”
The Trump Administration, however, filed a notice on Sept. 25, stating they are appealing the order to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the latest development for the administration to shorten the timeline for the Census.
The original deadline for the U.S. Census was July 31 and was originally extended to Oct. 31 to allow the opportunity to respond to challenges the pandemic created. In August, the Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham stated the deadline would be shifted again to Sept. 30 in order to speed up the completion of the data collection and appointment counts while protecting the health and safety of the public in addition to the Bureau’s workforce. Upon hearing of the deadline shift, Gov. Bullock and Lt. Gov. Cooney sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross urging the Census Bureau to continue operations through the original deadline of Oct. 31.
As the fourth-largest state in the nation, with disruptions from the pandemic and with more than a quarter of the state’s residents not receiving Census information because they get their mail at non-traditional addresses, Montana’s self response rate is behind most states. As of Sept. 28, Montana has a 59.9 percent self-response rate compared to the national average of 66.4 percent. Valley County has a 41.7 percent self-response rate.
According to Valley County Commissioner Mary Armstrong, the County receives several million dollars in federal funding every year based upon census numbers, including senior meals and aid, transit funds and public health grants. If everyone is not counted in the country, the County will be impacted over the next 10 years until the next census.
Anyone can respond to the Census and only takes a few minutes to complete by visiting my2020census.gov or by calling 1-844-330-2020.
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