San Diegans who haven’t yet filled out their 2020 Census questionnaire may get a knock on their door as soon as Tuesday since enumerators will begin to conduct check-ins.
Tuesday marks the start of a nationwide rollout of door-to-door knocking to ensure residents have filled out the 2020 Census.
Census workers will begin to knock on the doors of households that have not yet filled out their census and they will practice methods to keep safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. This year, residents have the option of filling out their census via mail, phone call and for the first time, online.
Census 2020
More on the important questionnaire that will determine federal spending.
While checking in with households, the door-knockers, who are also known as enumerators, will remain outside and stay away from whoever answers the door in order to keep proper social distancing. They will also have hand sanitizer with them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said participating in a 2020 Census interview has a low risk of COVID-19 transmission since the enumerators will maintain at least 6 feet distance and wear masks.
It is important for door knockers to reach underrepresented communities that haven't yet filled out the questionnaire. One man who has been canvassing the City Heights area to encourage people in his Vietnamese community to fill out the census explained why some residents are hesitant to participate.
“There’s multiple factors. Number one would be the language barriers and then the second would be also because of the fear of filling out the forms," said Jean-Huy Tran of Viet Vote. "So the Vietnamese folks came from Vietnam, which is a communist country. So most of the elders are pretty fearful about filling out the forms, filling out any forms in general.”
Filling out the census is required by California law, and it determines how the federal government will distribute $1.5 trillion in spending and how many congressional seats each state will get.
There may be scammers who will want to take advantage of the door knocking procedure and pose as a census worker. The census bureau warns that legitimate employees will never ask for personal information, such as citizenship status or details on your social security, credit card or Medicare numbers.
For more information on how to fill out the census, click here.
