Toledoans need to count
It’s a civic duty as well as a legal requirement.
The Editorial Board
Wed, 20 May 2020 04:00:00 GMT
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Toledo risks being down for the count.
In a city facing economic struggles long before the advent of coronavirus, a poor response to the U.S. Census count could pose further obstacles to upgrading infrastructure and receiving federal and state funding for all sorts of projects involving roads, bridges, and the educational system.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz even received a call from Wilbur Ross, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, after federal officials were alarmed by the low response rate. Toledo’s response rate is at 53.7 percent, below the national and state response rates. Ohio’s response rate stands at 64.5 percent.
Make sure to get counted. It’s a civic duty as well as a legal requirement. Filling out the census helps the community by assuring the city gets the federal and state dollars to which it is entitled.
It’s a simple proposition — the higher the population, the more federal and state dollars come to the city. The funding affects everything from street maintenance and repair to the public schools.
Mayor Kapszukiewicz is right. “If we do not do a better job filling out our census forms, we’ll be paying for it for the next decade,” he said.
By participating we contribute to helping out our communities — our city, county, and state. It doesn’t take long to fill out the form online or respond by phone or mail. Every household has received a mailing from the U.S Census Bureau explaining the options.
Historically, minority communities are undercounted in the census. Don’t let that happen again.
Census numbers determine how many U.S. House of Representatives seats and electoral votes a state is allocated. Ohio is projected to lose one of 16 seats. That’s one less vote and one less member to help send federal dollars home. That means Ohio will lose an electoral vote as well. The numbers will also form the basis of redistricting within each state for the 2024 elections.
Possibly the more important consequence is the allocation of federal dollars. Among the funding sources impacted by the census: highway and transportation funding, Medicaid, natural disaster recovery, business and development loans, as well as food stamps.
Private industry uses census data to expand their businesses whether that means a factory or a store.
Don’t let Toledo be down for the count.
Get up off the mat and send in the form by snail mail or fill it out online at 2020census.gov.