My Two Census

Formerly the non-partisan watchdog of the 2010 US Census, and currently an opinion blog that covers all things political, media, foreign policy, globalization, and culture…but sometimes returning to its census/demographics roots.

Do Spanish speakers get an extra month to complete their forms?

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UPDATE: All BE COUNTED forms, intended for people may not have received 2010 Census forms when they were supposed to, are to be returned by May 1, regardless of what language the forms have been printed in. Thanks to our readers for clarifying.

H/t to Denise Poon who created last week’s article series for Spot.us for bringing the following to my attention:

Census Day is undoubtedly April 1, 2010…so why does this 2010 Census form tell Spanish-speakers that they have until May 1 to return it? Was this a printing error? A translation error? An operational error? A double standard? MyTwoCensus has contacted the Census Bureau about this case and hopes to hear an answer very soon.

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This entry was posted on March 22nd, 2010 at 3:56 am by .
It is filed under Accountability, Census Bureau, Census Form, Immigration, Management, Minorities, Operations, Public Relations.

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4 Responses to “Do Spanish speakers get an extra month to complete their forms?”

  1. avatar Avi Says:
    March 22nd, 2010 at 6:00 am

    That’s not a household Census questionnaire. It’s a Be Counted form for people who didn’t get a questionnaire; “¿Cree que usted … ?” translates to “Do you believe you were NOT included in the 2010 Census?”

    Additionally, April 1 is a reference date, not a return deadline.

  2. avatar Stephen Robert Morse Says:
    March 22nd, 2010 at 6:09 am

    Avi – Thanks for the clarification. I don’t speak Spanish and was relying on Google Translate. I am aware that April 1 is a reference date and not a deadline, yet I was still thrown off by the May 1 guideline – SRM

  3. avatar Stephen Buckner Says:
    March 22nd, 2010 at 1:14 pm

    The 2010 Census questionnaire pictured in this post is a Spanish Be Counted form. Be Counted forms are census questionnaires that are available at various community locations for use by people who either did not receive a census questionnaire in the mail or who believe they were not otherwise included on any other census questionnaire. Just like any other 2010 Census questionnaires, the forms should be picked up and mailed back in the attached postage-paid envelope. Be counted forms are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Russian — all of which have the return by May 1, 2010 deadline message. To find any of the Census Bureau’s 30,000 Questionnaire Assistance Centers/Be Counted sites across the country, go to http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/.

  4. avatar TR Says:
    March 23rd, 2010 at 12:33 pm

    CONTROVERSY! Oh wait, nope. Dammit. Foiled again.