It is time for the 2010 census to begin. Be cautious about giving your information to Census Workers. The Better Business Bureau has published some helpful guidelines. They say to be cooperative but cautious so you won’t be a victim of identity theft or fraud. A census worker may contact you by phone, mail or visit your home up to three times. That sounds like your efficient government hard at work. Check with the Better Business Bureau in your area for further information www.bbb.org.

The first phase is under way and consists of worker verifying the addresses of households across the US. Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every person in the US and will gather information about each person living at each address,

They want your name, age, gender, race and other relevant data. Census workers are currently knocking on doors to gather verify addresses.

To recognize a census worker, they should have a badge, being holding a handheld device which has GPS coordinates to verify addresses, a canvas bag and a confidentially. Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions. You should never invite someone into your home that you don’t know. Never give out your social security number, bank account or credit information. YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION. You only need to tell them the number of people that live at your house.

If you are mailed a form you will receive a follow-up phone call so you can be assured it is the Census Bureau that sent the form. If you provide false information you may be fined up to $500. No forms can be filled out online. The Census Bureau states that the form in confidential and can’t be seen by the IRS, FBI, CIA or any other government agency. All census bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both. This form is one of the shortest in history. You can see it online. As a genealogist it is surprising to me that the form is so short but this year I think that is a good thing

President Obama has taken an interest in the census and some say he is reaching well beyond what other presidents have done. His recent picked Robert Groves as the Director of the census. He is professor at the University of Michigan and currently the director of the university’s Survey Research center.

The census count is supposed to be a nonpartisan process. It also helps to determine how congressional lines are drawn and it shows the demographic changes of the nation of the past 10 years, which could shift billions of dollars in federal funding for things like schools and roads and job training. Political eyes on both sides of the aisle will be watching this process.