Support Sanders County!

 

Dear Neighbors,

 

As of September 18, 2020, only 43 percent of Sanders County residents have responded to the Census.   But it’s not too late to be counted!  It only takes five minutes and the staff at your library can help. 

The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for you and your community.  Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.

The results of the census also determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives, and they are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts.  With a complete count, Montana stands to gain back the 2nd seat in Congress that was lost a few decades ago. 

It's also in the Constitution: Article 1, Section 2, mandates that the country conduct a count of its population once every 10 years. The 2020 Census will mark the 24th time that the country has counted its population since 1790.

Rural communities like ours have enough challenges these days.  School funding, highway dollars, voting districts, emergency services, and business grants are all based on census data.  

How much more might you have to pay on your property taxes to backfill our school and road maintenance budgets?  What would your kids miss out on if our schools and libraries are underfunded for the next ten years?  What would it be like to have more legislators from other communities far away representing us in Helena and Washington, DC?   Responding to the census ensures that we get our fair share of funding to support our communities.

 

Complete your census online at www.my2020census.gov or by phone right now at 1-844-330-2020.  Do it for your neighbors, for your pocketbook and for our community.

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