Home
Voting Rights Tools
Census Action Kit

Census Action Kit

(Looking for the Redistricting Action Kit? Click here!)

Join Complete Count Committees

The U.S. Census Bureau provides materials for individuals interested in forming or joining existing Complete Count Committees (CCC). CCC's create awareness in communities across the country and play a key role in developing partners to educate and motivate residents to participate in the 2020 Census. Check out the U.S. Census Bureau's website for more information like the pamphlets linked to below.

State Complete Count Commissions: Includes contact information, Census timeline, and more information.
2020 Census Complete Count Committee Guide
Complete Count Database: LWVUS has compiled information regarding the formation of Complete Count Committees in preparation for the 2020 Census. The information also includes regional and local contacts where available. The information is current as of June 10, 2019.
Boosting State Advocacy
Going into the Count phase, it is important to keep in mind the diversity of communities across the country. Census advocacy and organizing cannot be a one size fits all solution and therefore it is important to make sure state focused and regional efforts remain strong. Additionally, Census Counts has also created an interactive map library featuring state based advocacy materials that are available for use

Get Ready for Get Out the Count

Best Practices
Want to make sure you’re maximizing your impact? Check out these best practices recommendations! For example, getting to know your targets! Tackle the undercount by creating targeted campaigns and keep on reading to learn about how you can engage and uplift these communities:
Mapping Hard to Count Communities
Use this map to discover details about hard to count communities. You can use this information to enhance your education campaigns supporting funding for the census, complete count committees, and other activities. This map can be drilled down to the address, zip, landmark, count, state, or legislative district.
Partnering with Hard to Count Communities
This list is not exhaustive, and more information can also be found here Count Us In Resource Library.
Census Pledge Card
Use this card as a postcard to GOTC, as well as a way to follow up with those who have already pledged to be counted.
Create a GOTC Strategy
As we move into the count phase, it is important to have an effective plan on how you are going to be working to #GetOutTheCount in your community. Setting up a campaign plan can seem overwhelming, but there are resources available to help you as you move forward. Check out the GOTC Planning guide on their website to see you how you can make the most impact with your GOTC Efforts.
Partner with your Local Libraries!
- The League of Women Voters is proud to be an official partner with the American Library Association’s Census Project. Libraries will be playing a big role this coming year as community spaces where folks can get all sorts of assistance in filling out the census, as well as stable internet access to do so. These are resources that you can share with your local libraries and use to build out your library based partnerships! Information from the American Library Association on working with your local libraries can be found below:
  - How to Partner with your library
  - Prepare your Library for the Census! (with a special shout out to work with LWV!)
  - Helping Kids Count in the Census- A guide for Local Libraries
  - Facts for Libraries
  - Libraries Guide to the 2020 Census

Advocacy and Action

Take the Pledge and say #CountMeIn
Pledge to be counted and to educate your community about the importance of the 2020 census.
Impact and Action
- Get people to understand what social programs are impacted by the census. The undercount from the Census can have a grave impact. Without an accurate reflection of the population, funds for schools, social programs, and public infrastructure can be drastically cut. Help fight for better engagement on the census and better funding for social programs using this report on social programs and the census.
- The Census impacts us in more ways than we can imagine, from political representation, to funding for schools and housing, and even the maintenance of roads and highways. To see how the census impacts you check out this fact sheet from Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
- See how the census impacts policies in your state using this database from the Census Project.
The Census and Redistricting
- The census directly impacts political power by deciding the amount of congressional districts allotted to individual states. In the past, States have lost congressional districts as a result of changes in the census. Make sure that your community is accurately represented in congress, and the redistricting process. Check out this guide on the Census and Redistricting for more information.

Resources for Phase 3: Watching the Count

CUNY Center for Urban Research Response Rate Analysis (Updated Weekly)
- Want to see how communities in your area are responding to the Census? The CUNY Center for Urban Research has created a weekly Response Rate Analysis consisting of information on specific states, as well as Hard to Count Community flags for the week. Use this map to see where your league’s GOTC strategy could be most effective.
Census Digital Help Desk
- If you’re looking to get some input and support on your GOTC strategy. Check out the Census Digital Help Desk. Fill out this form and to get connected with specific resources, and to get advice from an expert on your GOTC work.
Reporting Fraudulent Information
- Cybersecurity and the safety of census data is of utmost importance to all of us. If you or your community members see or receive any misleading or incorrect information about the 2020 Census, please report it to the link above.
Internet Self Response Fact Sheet and Slide Deck
- Self response is the name of the game! As we continue our GOTC we want to do everything we can to organize our communities to fill the Census out from the comfort of their homes. Use the fact sheet and slide deck above to get more information about the self response process, and help train your people out on the field about why Self Response is important in ensuring a successful 2020 Census.
Response Challenge Toolkit
- A toolkit to help your local league track and elevate it’s response work. The kit will guide you on using the response map a long with some organizing strategies and tools to help meeting your response rate challenge.
ROAM Application
- Response Outreach Area Mapper: This map designed by the Census Bureau will make it easy for you to identify areas that are hard to survey and have low response rates. This interactive application will be a great way to complement any of your organizing work. If you want a tutorial on how it works check out this fact sheet on ROAM.

Talking Points

Talking Points: Citizenship Question in 2020 Census
On this page, LWVUS will maintain updated talking points for all Leagues to speak with one voice about the dangers of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.
Digital Safety
Check out this resource on how to be safe online while filling out the census.
Preventing Fraud and Protecting Privacy
- AARP has created (and Translated into multiple languages) this Fact Sheet on how to prevent scams and privacy protection for the Census.

LWV Partnership with NALEO Education Fund

3 Ways to Get involved in the 2020 Census (English and Spanish)
What is the Census? Available in both English and Spanish

Tools & Templates

5 Actions Toward a Better Census
Please use this document for education purposes in your communities. The quarter-sheet flyer can be printed front and back to make a postcard-sized handout.
LWVUS Webinar on LWV involvement in the 2020 Census
This is a recording of a webinar that occurred on July 30, 2019 and covered basics of the U.S. Census and a three step campaign for action for LWV's. Slides for the presentation can be downloaded at this link.
Working with Bilingual Communities
This database has language guides translated into 60 languages on the Census.

Resources from the U.S. Census Bureau

OFFICIAL CENSUS QUESTIONNAIRE (pdf): This is a pdf sample copy of the official Sample copy of the 2020 Census Questionnaire. The form is from the U.S. Census Bureau website here.
Census 101: What You Need to Know
A quick refresher on what the Census is and why it is essential that everyone is counted.
The 2020 Census at a Glance
Road to the 2020 Census
This is the 2020 Census operational timeline.
The 2020 Census and Confidentiality
Responses to the 2020 Census are protected by federal law. Responses to the Census can only be used to produce statistics and cannot be used against you in any way.
How the 2020 Census will invite everyone to respond
An overview of the plan to ensure that every household in the country will be invited to respond to the Census survey.
Counting Young Children in the 2020 Census
An estimated 5 percent of kids under the age of 5 weren’t counted in the 2010 Census. That’s about 1 million young children, the highest of any age group. Here’s what Census research tells us about why young children are missed and what you can do to help make sure they are counted.

Media and Messaging

Media and Messaging:

Engaging journalists on the Census
Are you planning on having members of the media attend your Get out the Count Event? Use this guide to help formulate some important talking points, and learn how to navigate and engage with the media on your #GetOutTheCountEfforts.

Blog Content

Letters to Congress and the Administration

Currently, the citizenship question has been removed from the 2020 Census and the League was instrumental in pushing back on the citizenship question. To learn how we got to victory, read the below record of letters we sent to Congress and the Administration around the harm that would occur if the question was included.