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Data collected by the 2020 census will affect how more than $675 billion in federal funds will be distributed to state and local governments.

Census data also will be used to draw state legislative districts and determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Because of these high stakes, Volusia County’s making a push to draw attention to the 2020 census and the importance of counting as many residents as possible.

Toward that end, county officials and community partners will kick off a 2020 census awareness campaign at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the county’s Emergency Operations Center, 3825 Tiger Bay Road in Daytona Beach.

Everyone is welcome. Representatives from cities, businesses, social-service agencies and faith-based organizations can learn how to help spread the word about the importance of completing census forms.

In mid-March, every household in the United States will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 census.

For the first time, people will have the option of responding online, by phone or by mail.

In 2010, 74 percent of households in Volusia County completed their census forms; this equaled the national response rate.

Those who did not respond received visits from census workers, who helped them complete the form.

Residents are required by law to complete and return the forms by April 1. The census 2020 form will ask for name, age, gender, race, date of birth, relationship to the head of the household, and whether the respondent owns or rents the home.

It will not include a citizenship question.

To learn about the U.S. census, go to www.census.gov/2020census.

County Council Members Barbara Girtman and Billie Wheeler will chair a census committee, with nine subcommittees representing local governments, businesses, colleges and universities, community organizations, early learning, faith-based organizations, housing, farmworkers and agriculture, and senior citizens.

For more information about this Complete Count Committee, visit www.volusia.org/census or contact staff liaisons Brian Rothwell at 386-736-5920, ext. 12717, or Pat Kuehn at 386-822-5062, ext. 12934.

— Courtesy Volusia County Community Information