By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
It is critically important to Yukon that everyone is counted accurately in the 2020 U.S. census, city leaders remind residents.
Mayor Mike McEachern and other local officials recognize the importance and value of counting each resident in the decennial census, which determines political representation to the U.S. House of Representative, state legislatures and local governments.
The census, conducted every 10 years by the U.S. Census Bureau, is the basis for the distribution of many forms of inter-governmental financial assistance and grants.
“The census determines so many things as to how your community is treated by the federal government,” McEachern said. “It’s a really major issue to make sure you count everyone.
“We certainly want to make it as complete a count as we can. There will be a very concerted effort to do that because of the financial implications and because many, many, many of your government functions rely on your census numbers.”
Yukon’s total population in the 2010 census was 22,709, a 7.92 percent increase from the city’s 2000 census population of 21,043.
Recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates place Yukon’s population at 26,830.
“The census number is a big deal, simply because it also will determine your voting districts,” McEachern said.
The mayor read a proclamation at the Nov. 20th Yukon City Council meeting to demonstrate Yukon’s “full support of and participation” in the 2020 census.
Accepting the proclamation was Tricia Woodward, a partnership specialist for the State of Oklahoma with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of the Census.
Woodward reiterated the importance of making sure the population count is accurate and complete in the 2020 census.
“The Census Bureau wants to count everyone once – and only once,” Woodward said.
She told Yukon residents they will be able to fill out their census forms online, even using their cell phones.
Woodward called upon Yukon’s community and business leaders to help ensure all residents are counted, particularly those who are difficult to reach.
Through the proclamation signed by McEachern, Yukon has agreed to enter a partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau.
The primary role in this partnership is to formulate a Complete Count Committee, which will include representation from government, education, media, religious groups, business, and special housing.
This committee’s overall goal is to make Yukon citizens aware of the meaning and importance of the 2020 census. Claudia Krshka of the Development Services Department will coordinate this effort for Yukon.
Oklahoma was ranked 28th among all states in the 2010 census with a total population of 3,751,351, an 8.7 percent increase from the 2000 census.
