Quantcast
skip to Main Content

(April 21, 2020 9:19 PM) The Jackson 2020 Census “Be Counted” Town Hall will be held Thursday, April 23 from 4 to 5 PM as a Facebook Live event.  The goal of this online rally with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson,  Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan Census Director Kerry Ebersole Singh in partnership with local officials is to boost the Greater Jackson region’s response rate.

The event features Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake; Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II; Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; Attorney General Dana Nessel; Michigan 2020 Census Director Kerry Ebersole Singh; Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies; Jackson County Commissioner and NAACP Jackson Chapter President Daniel J. Mahoney; the Rev. Darius Williams, who also serves as Jackson County Commissioner; and Nonprofit Network Executive Director Regina Pinney, who chairs the Michigan Nonprofit Association Jackson Complete Count Committee.

The event will Livestream at facebook.com/MiCensus.

The Jackson 2020 Census “Be Counted” Town Hall was initially planned as a public forum. The event has now become an online town hall to comply with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order to help mitigate the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Each of the dignitaries participating in the Jackson virtual town hall will appear on camera remotely to ensure safe social distancing protocols.

The Michigan Census office says the event will highlight the convenience of completing the census and the important benefits it brings to Jackson neighborhoods and other communities throughout Jackson, Hillsdale and Branch counties. The aim is to help boost participation in 2020. In 2010, Jackson County had 69.3% of households respond, Hillsdale County had 66% and Branch County had 64.9%. Through Sunday, April 19, only 57.1% households in Jackson County, 51.4% in Hillsdale County and 47.6% in Branch County have completed the 2020 census.

 Statewide, more than 4.3 million Michigan residents are estimated to be hard to count or less likely to complete the 2020 census, as measured by federal data on expected response rates. In 2010, 78% of the state’s population completed the census. The Michigan 2020 Census campaign’s goal is 82% participation statewide. According to Director Singh, “Michigan needs to increase participation by at least 10 points by or before April 30 to stay on track for meeting that goal.”

The campaign’s goal is to communicate the importance of completing the census, dispel myths and maximize participation in the census, and promote understanding of how completing the census is more convenient than ever before by mail, by phone and – for the first time – online.  

Back To Top
Search