Governor Stitt Forms Committee To Make Sure Every Oklahoman Counted In 2020 Census

Governor Kevin Stitt is putting together a new committee to make sure every Oklahoman is counted in the 2020 census.

The Governor is optimistic the 20 member committee will have what it needs to get the job done,  but it will face some considerable hurdles to get over before next year.

Large numbers of Oklahomans risk being under-counted or not counted at all. 

For starters, about a third of Oklahomans live in rural areas, which can make it difficult for census takers to reach them. 

This is also the first time the Census Bureau is asking a majority of Americans to return their forms online, but nearly 1 in 5 Oklahomans don't have reliable access to the internet. 

Children in poverty and the homeless are chronically under-counted or not counted at all in each census. 

The State Department of Commerce says an accurate census could secure millions of federal dollars to help run more than 300 programs in Oklahoma.

The census isn't officially sent out until April 1 of 2020.