Join The "Count Me In" Campaign In Your Neighborhood

Many New York households did not mail back their 2000 census questionnaire. Statewide, the mail-in response rate was below the national average.  In some neighborhoods, only 1 in 3 households mailed back a form. With so much state and federal aid for our schools, hospitals and transportation on the line, it’s crucial we do better in the 2010 Census.  So how can we make that happen?

Social science research has shown that people can be persuaded to do the right thing if they see neighbors and friends – people they know and trust — doing it.  That’s why the Senate is helping community leaders set up Complete Count Committees so neighbors will hear from their neighbors about participating in the census.
 
Now, you can get in the act.  Our web site now has detailed maps of every neighborhood in New York that will tell you how many of your neighbors are – or are NOT – returning their census forms.   Color coding shows each neighborhood’s hard-to-count population (the darker the map, the more likely it is people are not being counted), and a pie-chart shows the percentage of households that didn’t mail back forms in the 2000 Census.
 
These maps make it easy to see if you live in one of the neighborhoods that are not being counted.   If you do, talk to your neighbors, and let them know you want the census to count you, and it’s important for them to be counted, too.
 
The “Count Me In” 2010 Census campaign is as important as any election: The outcome will determine the resources your community receives for the next ten years.   
 
If you want to get more involved in the ‘Count Me In’ campaign, call your senator’s office.  They will connect you with people in your neighborhood.