Today's the deadline to mail your census form

By Ahmed Fawzi
Herald reporter

Everett, Herald __Today is the deadline for anyone who has yet to turn in their 2010 Census form, and then people with clipboards will start knocking on doors and helping people fill out the forms.

The U.S. Census Bureau reminds all households that don’t want to hear knocks on their doors to mail back their forms today. After that, the in-person follow-up phase will begin May 1.

Census Bureau plans to deploy more than 600,000 census takers door to door to count households that failed to mail their forms back.

Those households that have not received a Census form or have misplaced have until April 19th to visit 2010.census.gov/2010census/index.php to find out where to pick up a form, or have questions answered.

Households may also fill out a form over the phone by calling the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance Center hotline for assistance seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Phone assistance is available in several languages.

For English, call 1-866-872-6868; Spanish: 1-866-928-2010; Mandarin and Cantonese: 1-866-935-2010; Korean: 1-866-955-2010; Russian: 1-866-965-2010; Vietnamese: 1-866-945-2010; TDD (hearing impaired): 1-866-783-2010.

The U.S. Census Bureau also announced that 68 percent of households have mailed back their census form nationally; 69 percent in Washington, 69 percent in Snohomish County; and 64 percent in Everett. The county with the highest return rate is Jefferson County, with 76 percent.

The U.S. Census Bureau saves about $85 million in operational costs for every percentage point increase in the nation’s mail-participation rate.

It costs the government just the price of a postage stamp when a household mails back the form. It costs the Census Bureau $57 to follow up in person with a non-responsive household.