Today is April 1, which means you’ve probably already spent way too much time trying to figure out whether you’re reading an April Fool’s Day joke. Rest assured, you won’t find any pranks, put-ons, or practical jokes here. That’s because April 1 is also Census Day, and that means we’re officially one year away from the 2020 census. In case it’s been too long since you took civics, the US Constitution requires the federal government count every person living in the country every ten years – no matter their race, ethnicity, age, gender, status, political affiliation, or geographic location. Next year’s census will be the 24^th since the first was taken in 1790, which found the entire US population was less than 4 million people.

Thanks to the census, we know the US population has now grown to nearly 330 million. But the census count determines a lot more than just knowing how many people live in the US. The census is also one of the most fundamental parts of our democracy. An accurate count helps guarantee that each state receives the appropriate number of seats in the House of Representatives, it influences how states draw their legislative districts, and equally as important, an accurate population count ensures we have the public investments that help our communities thrive. That’s because each state’s share of federal funding for everything from health care to transportation is determined by the census, including some of our most important tools for lifting families out of poverty.

Services that help struggling families put food on the table or see a doctor, like SNAP and Medicaid, don’t just help Coloradans make ends meet, they provide a stabilizing force for local economies during recessions. And programs that help ensure our students are successful in school, like the National School Lunch Program and Head Start, lay a strong foundation for future generations. The census determines funding for all of these programs and much more.

Unfortunately, the 2020 census is in jeopardy due to inadequate funding and an unprecedented and untested citizenship question. Not only has Congress instructed the Census Bureau not to spend more on the 2020 census than it did on the 2010 census (despite census costs doubling over the last twenty years), but the US Department of Commerce, which has authority over the Census Bureau, has proposed asking respondents whether or not they are US citizens. While the issue of whether this question will end up appearing on the 2020 census form is ultimately expected to be decided by the US Supreme Court, advocates for a fair and accurate census count worry it will push people away from participating.

These barriers threaten Colorado’s ability to ensure an accurate count of all people, particularly residents in “hard-to-count” communities, including immigrants, people of color, Coloradans who earn low incomes, Native Americans, Coloradans living in rural communities, people who speak and understand limited amounts of English, and many others. A report from the George Washington Institute for Public Policy found that just a 1 percent undercount in 2010 would have meant a loss of over $63 million per year for the state.

A recent analysis by CFI found that the state would need to invest $12 million to ensure that all Coloradans, including nearly 1.5 million hard-to-count people, are indeed counted. With as much as $800 billion in federal funding at stake, several states have appropriated funds and created Complete Count Committees (CCC) to ensure an accurate count in 2020.

Trusted CCCs are volunteer groups created by state and local governments, community groups, and/or organizations focused on increasing awareness of and participation in the census through “trusted community messengers.” A $12 million-dollar investment would allow the state to allocate resources to trusted organizations and community groups in each of the 64 counties based on each county’s share of the hard-to-count population. Lawmakers, informed by this research, have introduced HB19-1239, which will provide state grants to assist with complete count efforts.

The importance of the census cannot be understated. If we want to guarantee Colorado receives enough federal funding to ensure all of our diverse communities have the resources they need, then we have to properly invest in an accurate count in 2020. The state stands to benefit from, or lose out on, billions in federal dollars over the next ten years if we don’t act now and invest in census outreach efforts.

You don’t need to be a civics expert to see why a complete count is a big deal. If you want to make sure Coloradans are counted completely, accurately, and fairly, then take action today and urge legislators to invest in census advocacy efforts by voting yes on HB19-1239.