What happens if I don't
fill out my census form?
In the United States, the census is officially a big deal (see
How the Census Works
to learn exactly how big a deal it is). Originally, the census was meant
to be a way to count everyone so that the members of the House of
Representatives could be allocated properly to the states. Every 10
years there would be a count, and states with more people got more
members in the House. Over time, the government has gotten significantly
more complicated, and today, the federal government allocates money
to states for all sorts of programs. Something like $100 billion
gets distributed every year, and quite a bit of it is distributed
based on population. The census provides the only official head
count.
Someone is very likely to notice if you do not fill out and return
your form. After April 1 in a census year, all of the responses received
by the U.S. Census Bureau will be
compared to major lists of U.S. residences. If your response has not
been received -- or if you didn't complete all the questions on your
form -- someone from the census will contact you for that information.
The census is a $6.5 billion dollar project. They can afford to be
thorough!
If you refuse to give out the information or you deliberately give
inaccurate information, you can be in legal trouble. According to
United States Code, Title 13 (Census), Chapter 7 (Offenses and
Penalties), SubChapter II, if you're over 18 and refuse to answer all or
part of the Census, you can be fined up to $100. If you give false
answers, you're subject to a fine of up to $500. If you offer
suggestions or information with the "intent to cause inaccurate
enumeration of population," you are subject to a fine of up to $1,000,
up to a year in prison, or both. Here's the official verbiage:
221. Refusal or neglect to answer questions;
false answers
- (a) Whoever, being over eighteen years of age, refuses or
willfully neglects, when requested by the Secretary, or by any other
authorized officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or
bureau or agency thereof acting under the instructions of the
Secretary or authorized officer, to answer, to the best of his
knowledge, any of the questions on any schedule submitted to him in
connection with any census or survey provided for by subchapters I,
II, IV, and V of chapter 5 of this title, applying to himself or to
the family to which he belongs or is related, or to the farm or
farms of which he or his family is the occupant, shall be fined not
more than $100.
- (b) Whoever, when answering questions described in subsection
(a) of this section, and under the conditions or circumstances
described in such subsection, willfully gives any answer that is
false, shall be fined not more than $500.
- (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, no person
shall be compelled to disclose information relative to his religious
beliefs or to membership in a religious body.
Sec. 222. Giving suggestions or information with intent to
cause inaccurate enumeration of population
Whoever, either directly or indirectly, offers or renders to any
officer or employee of the Department of Commerce or bureau or
agency thereof engaged in making an enumeration of population under
subchapter II, IV, or V of chapter 5 of this title, any suggestion,
advice, information or assistance of any kind, with the intent or
purpose of causing an inaccurate enumeration of population to be
made, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more
than one year, or both.
These links will help you learn more:
COMMENT: To me this is reasonable cause to not answer and
refuse them.
No trespassing signs work for me.
Do I have to talk to the census taker?
Yes. Your participation in the 2010 Census is vital and
required by law, (Section
221, of Title 13 of the U.S. Code). However, rather than
rely on criminal charges, the Census Bureau is very
successful in getting participation by explaining the
importance of the questions we ask and how the information
benefits our communities.
I have put a note on my front door addressed to Census
Takers. I list the reasons why I am only answering two questions
out of the 10 and cite the passage in the Constitution that
mandates the enumeration verbatim as the legal authority for my
disobedience. I don't see it as a big deal. It's a pretty safe
way to needle the government, and I seriously doubt that I will
land in jail for it, but I do believe that the principal I'm
standing on is important nonetheless.
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