During the 2008 Presidential election, Missouri had eleven votes in the electoral college. In each election since then we’ve only had 10, meaning our votes in the elections since 2008 – including this November – had less effect on the outcome than in prior years. Why? Because electoral votes are based on states’ population as determined by the Census.

Every ten years, the Constitution mandates that the U.S. Census Bureau count each and every citizen across the nation. A population count may sound trivial, but an accurate Census count is imperative for a number of reasons. Along with electoral votes, it determines our number of representatives in Congress. It also plays a pivotal role in allocating federal funds that support Missouri’s roads, schools, hospitals, disaster relief, and much more. Dating back all the way to 1790 when our founders were determining how to best ensure every citizen is represented, the Census remains an invaluable tool.

Unfortunately, in our last Census in 2010, Missourians were severely undercounted, particularly in rural areas. As a result, we were one of only 10 states in the U.S. to lose a Congressional seat and electoral vote. The undercounting also resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in federal funding that should have gone to our state, but was sent elsewhere instead. According the Missouri Foundation for Health, Missouri will lose $1,300 for every person not counted in this year’s Census. That amounts to tens of millions of our tax dollars going to another state’s schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.

So, this year, be sure to mark your calendars. Thursday, March 12 is the first day Missourians will be able to respond to the Census. You should be receiving invitations and instructions on how to respond as early as next week by mail.  You can respond online, over the phone or by mailing in a paper form -- whatever is easiest for you and your family. If you do not receive a Census card in the mail or have any questions, my office stands ready to help. Governor Parson has also established an entire committee dedicated to getting the Census right for Missouri this time around. The “Missouri 2020 Complete Committee” is a volunteer group made up of Missourians from the government, community groups and businesses who are dedicating their time to ensure an accurate and timely Census count for our state.

This year’s Census has been designed to be the easiest to complete yet and is – as always – completely confidential. Please join me in helping Missouri get accurate representation and federal funding. For more information please visit my2020census.gov, call my office, or visit my website at Luetkemeyer.House.Gov.