MARQUETTE, MI-- Local and state officials are going online to urge U.P. residents to complete their 2020 census responses.
Thursday at 4 p.m. State Representative Greg Markkanen, Marquette Mayor Jenna Smith, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist and others are hosting the U.P. 2020 Census “Be Counted” virtual town hall.
Census data determines how many seats each state has in the U.S. House and is used to distribute billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities. Officials say the U.P. is highly at risk of being undercounted. Only three U.P. counties have a 50 percent or more census response rate: Marquette, Delta and Dickinson. Keweenaw County lags the farthest behind in the state at only 17 percent.
Officials want to communicate the importance of completing the census, dispel myths, maximize participation and promote understanding of how easy it is to complete.
The town hall can be seen at facebook.com/MiCensus.
