ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! Continues Efforts for a Full Latino Count.

Starting this weekend, the U.S. Census Bureau will send more than 600,000 enumerators out into the field, knocking on the doors of households that did not return their Census form. The ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign is here to say it is not too late to stand up and be counted in the 2010 Census.

“We are leveraging all of our platforms, including television, radio and interactive to expand the focus on the 2010 Census.”

“Since we know the importance of being counted, we have reassured our community that it is safe to participate and that their information will be kept confidential,” said Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, “We have worked with the community on how to identify Census workers.”

An enumerator will have identification and in many cases will be carrying a black bag with the Census logo on it. An enumerator will never ask to enter your home. They will never ask for your Social Security number. They will never ask for any financial information (credit card, bank account number). This is what they will ask: Name, Sex, Age, Race, Ethnicity, Relationship (if you are related to others living in the home), and whether your home is owned or rented. Ten questions: no more, no less.

“Mi Familia Vota coordinators on the ground engaged thousands of Latino families in key states like Arizona and Colorado,” stated Ben Monterroso, Executive Director of Mi Familia Vota Education Fund. “Active participation in the Census has paved the way for these Latino families to remain civically engaged in the political process.”

Census Bureau director Robert Groves recently announced that the response rate for this year’s Census – 72% — has reached the 2000 Census level, even as the Bureau is counting nearly 30 million more people than ten years ago. Groves added that several states had even surpassed previous levels, and has credited the role of partners such as the ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign in outreach efforts. He fully expects the response rate to rise.

“The nation has stepped up to the challenge of participating in this once-a-decade civic event,” said Groves. “We knew the job would be more difficult in 2010 than 2000, yet the nation responded tremendously.”

Remember, the Census is safe and completely confidential.

“Participation in the 2010 Census is essential and we must continue to reach out to the community with local and trusted voices to drive maximum participation in the final phase,” said Walter F. Ulloa, Chairman and CEO of Entravisión. “Entravisión’s partnership with the ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign has helped strengthen the power of the local community and increase commitment from local media markets. This campaign will continue to drive awareness among the Spanish-language public within emerging communities, who need to increase their participation and establish greater trust in the Census 2010.”

The ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign focuses on promoting the importance of the Census, and our media partners have led this effort by including information on the Census through news stories, public affairs programming, public service announcements and promotional ads across various media outlets – television, radio, print and online.

“Univisión is fully committed to serving the Hispanic community, and this is why we are working diligently with the ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign to increase response rates among Hispanic households in order to achieve a full Latino count in 2010,” said César Conde, President of Univisión networks. “We are leveraging all of our platforms, including television, radio and interactive to expand the focus on the 2010 Census.”

Since its official launch last October, more than 500 partners have joined the unprecedented ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign. The bilingual operators at (877) EL CENSO have fielded over 13,000 calls, and continue to assist callers. The hotline will be up and running through the end of May. Nearly 22,000 users have visited www.yaeshora.info for information on the Census, a number that continues to increase.

Census data is used for congressional representation and to distribute $440 billion in funding for schools, hospitals, roads, job training and many others programs that directly impact the Latino community. In the 2000 Census, more than 900,000 Latinos were left out, representing nearly $2 million in lost revenue for the community. That cannot happen this time around.

It is not too late to stand up and be counted.

“The historic ya es hora ¡HAGASE CONTAR! campaign and the collaboration of hundreds of local partners across the country has helped to amplify the impact of the Census Bureau’s message by adding an independent and trusted community message focused on empowering and protecting the Latino community,” said Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.

For more information on the campaign, please visit www.yaeshora.info

About the ya es hora campaign

The ya es hora campaign is the largest and most comprehensive non-partisan effort to incorporate Latinos as full participants in the American political process. The campaign has dramatically increased naturalization rates and spurred record Latino turnout in the 2008 presidential election.