On April 10, we’re launching our March to the Mailbox campaign as the kickoff to the final seven days of the 2010 mailout/mailback operation. We want to remind folks that they need to step up and do what their neighbors have done. In many, many areas of the country the majority of the forms have been completed and returned, now about 75 million households!

The March to the Mailbox is another example of how a successful census depends on local energy. Throughout the country thousands of volunteers have stepped up to coordinate parades, rallies and walks over the next few days to spread the word that if you haven’t sent in your form yet – don’t worry, there’s still time! This grassroots effort is aimed at reaching the hardest-to-count neighborhoods in America. Most of these areas will also be receiving a second census form in the mail this week, giving residents a very easy second chance to be counted.

We’ll begin the countdown phase of the mailback period after the March to the Mailbox.
At the end of our countdown, we’ll begin our transition to the non-response follow up (NRFU) phase of the census. Starting May 1, we’ll be sending out around 700,000 census employees to conduct personal interviews with residents around the country. During an operation this large, we’re bound to have an overlap between those who’ve already sent back their forms and also receive a visit from a census worker. We have taken steps to maximize the efficiency of the NRFU operation, and ask that you cooperate with census workers as best you can.

Please submit any questions pertaining to this post to ask.census.gov

Director Robert Groves