The census has been used as an indicator of how, where, and for whom resources should be distributed. Communities often refer to the census to advocate for additional resources. For this to be effective, an accurate count of the Latino community must be reflected in the 2020 Census.

For anyone who threw out or lost the census questionnaire that was mailed to your address, you can submit your census information over the internet. It takes less than 2 minutes.

It can feel risky to submit personal information to the government, particularly if you are undocumented or if your residency status is in progress. However, your participation in no way impacts your status. To demystify what information the census asks, ¡Pa’delante! lists the census questions here and walks you through the process:

1. Go to my2020census.gov and click “Start Questionnaire”
2. The next screen will ask for the 12-digit Census ID from the paper questionnaire. If you have your paper questionnaire, add the ID; if you don’t, click on “If you don’t have a Census ID, click here.”
3. The next page will identify your location. The question asks: “In order to collect your address, we first need to know where you were living on April 1, 2020. Please select where you were living on April 1, 2020.” You may choose from: a) A US state or District of Columbia; b) Puerto Rico; or c) Somewhere else. If you wer living in the US on April 1, select the first option. 
4. The next question asks where you were living on April 1, 2020. You will be asked to enter your address number, street name, state, and zip code. If you did not have a street address on that date, you may also select “I do not have a street address.”
5. Next, you will be asked to review the address information to make sure it is correct. If it is correct, select “Submit.” If it is incorrect, select “Revise,” and make the appropriate changes to correct it.
6. Next, you will be asked for your name and phone number. On separate lines, you will be asked for your first name, middle name, last name, phone number, phone number prefix, and phone number suffix.
7. Next come a few questions about your household. You will be asked how many people, including yourself were living or staying at your address on April 1, 2020. Add the correct number of people. This includes all relatives, including children, roommates, and others who might have temporarily stayed in your home.
8. Now, you will be asked to enter the names of each of the people living or staying at your address on April 1, 2020. Your name will automatically be added. Add the First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name of an additional person, and press Enter. Click “+ Add new person” to enter the name of another person.
9. The questionnaire will list the individuals you’ve added to your household, and gives you one last opportunity to add anyone else you might have left off. It asks: “Were there any ADDITIONAL people that you did not already list?” 
   - Yes: choose Yes if you need to add someone else to your household
   - No: choose No if you’ve finished adding everyone who was in your household on April 1, 2020
   - Next – once you’re done with adding anyone else to your household, click “Next.”
10. The next question asks: “On April 1, 2020, was the house, apartment, or mobile home at your address". Select the option that applies: 
    - Owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan
    - Owned by you or someone in this household free and clear
    - Rented
    - Occupied without payment of rent
11. If you selected that the house was owned by someone else in the household, it will ask you to identify which person owns the home.
12. You are halfway there! The next questions are about you and each person living with you. First, you will be asked your sex. You are asked to choose Male or Female.
13. Next, you will be asked for your date of birth.
14. You will be asked if you are Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin. You may choose from the following options:
    - No, not of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
    - Yes, Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano
    - Yes, Puerto Rican
    - Yes, Cuban
    - Yes, another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin
15. You will be asked to identify your race. You may choose more than one of the following options:
    - White
    - American Indian or Alaska Native
    - Chinese
    - Filipino
    - Asian American
    - Vietnamese
    - Other Asian
    - Native Hawaiian
    - Samoan
    - Chamorro
    - Other Pacific Islander
    - Some other race
16. Next, you will be asked how you are related to each person in your household. You may choose from the following options:
    - Opposite-sex husband/wife/spouse
    - Opposite-sex unmarried partner
    - Same-sex husband/wife/spouse
    - Same-sex unmarried partner
    - Biological son or daughter
    - Adopted son or daughter
    - Stepson or stepdaughter
    - Brother or sister
    - Father or mother
    - Grandchild
    - Parent-in-law
    - Son-in-law or daughter-in-law
    - Other relative
    - Roommate or housemate
    - Foster child
    - Other non-relative
17. You will be asked Questions 12-15 about each person in your household.
18. The final question asks if some people in your household live or stay in more than one place, such as a daughter who is in college, a relative who is in jail or in the military, etc. Of all the people you listed in your household, do any of them live or stay somewhere other than your address? If so, identify which person(s).
19. Submit your 2020 Census questionnaire!

YOU'RE DONE!

Let ¡Pa’delante! know if you completed the census using this information; email us to let us know you succeeded in submitting your census. Also, if you still have questions, please email us and we’ll help as much as possible.

We have one opportunity to be counted every 10 years. Let’s make sure we all count!

¡Pa’delante!