WAITSBURG—Waitsburg residents’ participation rate in the 2020 census is in the lower half for all of Washington state. So far only 40 percent of town residents have completed the survey.

If you haven’t filled out a census form yet, go online and let’s get Waitsburg’s participation up to 100 percent!

The Census Bureau resumed field operations in the state on Monday, May 11. Census workers will resume delivering invitations and questionnaires to households that did not receive them before field operations were suspended in March.

Census workers will not ring doorbells or collect census information. All they will do is leave a questionnaire with instructions on how to respond at the front door. Census workers will have valid ID badges with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date.

Deadline for the Self-Response Phase, online, phone and mailed self-responses, has been extended to October 31, 2020.

Our local participation rate as of May 10.

Waitsburg self-response = 40.2 percent

Walla Walla self-response = 60.3 percent

Dayton self-response = 62.4 percent

Washington State self-response = 63.8 percent

For information on how you can participate in this vital national count, visit my2020census.gov to begin.