FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 9, 2020
Contact: Kristen Muszynski
Kristen.Muszynski@maine.gov
207-626-8404/ 207-441-7638

Secretary Dunlap, Commissioner Figueroa to launch 2020 U.S. Census in Maine Thursday

AUGUSTA – The Maine Complete Count Committee (CCC), headed by Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap, will officially kick off the 2020 U.S. Census season at a press event on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at 10 a.m. at the Maine State Library, 230 State St., Augusta.

The committee, formed via executive order by Governor Janet T. Mills last year, is charged with developing ideas and strategies for ensuring as complete a count as possible in this year’s census. The Maine CCC is comprised of representatives of several agencies, including the Department of Administrative and Financial Services; the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry; the Department of Economic and Community Development, and many others.

DAFS Commissioner Kirsten Figueroa will join Secretary Dunlap in sharing remarks at the event, and they will officially kick off census season by personally completing their responses to the census.

The Maine Complete Count Committee has produced both an interim report and a final report. Both explain various ideas and strategies devised by committee members for ensuring a complete count of all Maine residents.

“Participation in the census is absolutely essential for planning at all levels in our State,” said Secretary Dunlap. “The State agencies participating in our Complete Count Committee are actively engaging in spreading the word that the census is easy, safe and important, and we are depending on all Maine residents to participate, to ensure that Maine receives its fair share of federal funding and political representation.”

The 2020 U.S. census is notable not only because it is a decennial event, but because this year is the first time the census will be available online and by telephone. Those without internet access can still fill out the paper form or complete the census via an in-person enumerator visit. 

Census results impact a wide range of federal funding for tribal, state, and local governments. Because of the results of the 2010 census, the State of Maine received more than $4 billion annually in federal funds. The census also impacts redistricting for state legislative districts.

The Maine CCC is the state census committee, but Maine also has more than 150 smaller, community-based census committees. View the full list of census committees here. For more information about the census and the Maine Complete Count Committee, visit the Maine CCC website For other press materials about the census, visit the U.S. Census Bureau website.