Despite COVID-19 crisis, Hudson leaders ask residents not to forget to fill out the Census

While New Jersey is still in the midst of addressing the COVID-19 crisis, Hudson County leaders are asking residents not to forget to fill out the U.S. Census.

“In these trying times, the Census is more important than ever. Your responses will ensure Hudson County receives funding for crucial programs like health care,” Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise said in a YouTube video.

“April 1 is Census Day, a nationally observed event encouraging households across the country to complete the 2020 Census. North Bergen is Counting on you!,” state Senator (D-32)/North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco tweeted.

Residents can respond to the 2020 Census over the phone, by mail or through an online questionnaire at http://www.2020census.gov.

The self-response period runs until August 14th and filling out the questionnaire avoids the Census from contacting residents in the future.

“Now, more than ever, it’s so important for Hoboken residents to fill out the 2020 Census. Hoboken will be asking for its fair share of funding from the state and federal government to help with the COVID-19 crisis, and the population determined by the census will have a major impact in determining what we receive,” Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in statement.

“This is an easy way for residents to help our City while self-isolating from home, and I encourage everyone to complete the questionnaire as soon as possible.”

He noted that Hoboken passed a critical population threshold of 50,000 by just 5 people back in 2010, allowing the municipality and local non-profits to access tens of thousands of federal dollars.

According to City Hall, only 37.5 percent of Hoboken residents had filled out the Census as of March 30th.

On top of deciding billions of dollars in federal funding, the Census determines Congressional, state, and local legislative district boundaries.