MS Public Broadcasting: Getting a full count in the 2010 Census

MPB reports on the first meeting of the MS Complete Count Committee:

The Governor’s office is recruiting state and community leaders from Horn Lake to Biloxi to serve on a Complete Count Committee to ensure every Mississippian is counted in the 2010 US Census. MPB's Lawayne Childrey has more.

During the 2000 US Census, only 62% of Mississippi households voluntarily returned completed census questionnaires. The other 38% had to be contacted in person as workers went door to door. Governor Barbour is hoping for a better result in 2010.

“Because many things that are federal programs, representation of the legislature, representation of the congress, representation of the city councils are dependent on the accuracy of the census.”

Accuracy is the key word for Shirley Anderson Scott of the United States Census Bureau in Mississippi. Scott helped coordinate the Complete Count Committee and says the 2010 census gives a detail snap shot of the entire country and state right down to your block.

“This determines how much money is brought into the state for streets, for schools, for hospitals. Everything that the federal government put money into.”

The goal is to count every Mississippi resident. A Willie DeBerry, with the U.S. Census Bureau, Regional Office says there is no risk to illegal residents but the biggest obstacle is empathy.

“People don’t quite understand the importance and they’ll take the questionnaire and throw it away or whatever the case may be. So we have to constantly beat the bushes and stay on that ground in terms of just giving education and making it a number one priority that they can understand.”

The 10 question census will be mailed or delivered to households in February. They must be mailed back by April 1st.. For MPB News, I'm Lawayne Childrey.