# Done your census yet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565 "2020-03-29T03:49:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/21 "2020-03-30T08:35:55Z")
I did ours. They didn’t ask about the cat. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/22 "2020-03-30T14:51:32Z")
I was surprised that it was so short. From looking at my ancestry I got to see some interesting information on old census forms. ---
**Author:** ![Kovitlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kovitlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kovitlac)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/23 "2020-03-30T15:44:00Z")
I filled mine out online because4 I hadn’t gotten it in the mail yet and wanted to do it before I forgot. I got it in the mail the very next day :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/24 "2020-03-30T15:58:07Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Got it, answered it, and received three reminders after I filed it. > > I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t ask me if I was a citizen or not. I’m proud to be one, and wanted to be counted as such. I’m a proud Seahawk fan, but no questions about that either ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/25 "2020-03-30T17:13:22Z")
I filled out ours last Friday. I was kind of surprised at how short it was. I was ready to answer all kinds questions. Took less than 5 minutes. My taxes have been completed too!!!:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/26 "2020-03-30T17:23:21Z")
Filed online as soon as I got it, about 10 days ago? Easy peasy lemon squeezy. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/27 "2020-03-30T18:12:21Z")
> [@Kovitlac](#): > > I filled mine out online because4 I hadn’t gotten it in the mail yet and wanted to do it before I forgot. I got it in the mail the very next day :rolleyes: How did you do it without the code? Was it able to work by typing in your address? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/28 "2020-03-30T18:25:04Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Filled it out today. Although I wondered if I should wait until April 1. Because it asked about people living in the household on April 1, 2020, which hasn’t happened yet. I did it two weeks ago. I’m a natural optimist. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/29 "2020-03-30T18:57:42Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I had understood that “Hispanic” isn’t really a race, and that a person can be a white Hispanic, or a black Hispanic, or an Asian-Hispanic, etc. It’s probably because I’m Mexican-American and have been raised in areas where that was the overwhelming type of Hispanic. Mexicans are pretty much by definition mixed race (mix of Native American and White), so we almost always considered ourselves a distinct race. If I was or lived around Puerto Ricans, no doubt I’d be more aware of racial differences among Hispanics. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/30 "2020-03-30T19:51:59Z")
I did mine online after receiving the second mailing. Only took 5 or 10 minutes. Under race I checked White, but it had an additional free-form blank for additional race information, like Irish, German, etc. It seemed to be required, which I thought was odd. What are they going to do with free-from text data, people will put all sorts of odd junk in there. Last census I got the “long form”, and it was really long, it asked for many many details like mortgage amount and property taxes, things like that. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/31 "2020-03-30T23:24:46Z")
I’m supposed to be out dropping off Census forms at residences where people didn’t get one in the mail. Our original work dates were March 15 - April 10. On March sixteenth my supervisor told me that we were on hold until April first. Today (March thirtieth) that was pushed back until April fifteenth. If you didn’t get a form in the mail, don’t worry. It will be there…eventually. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/32 "2020-03-31T14:28:36Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I did mine online after receiving the second mailing. Only took 5 or 10 minutes. Under race I checked White, but it had an additional free-form blank for additional race information, like Irish, German, etc. It seemed to be required, which I thought was odd. What are they going to do with free-from text data, people will put all sorts of odd junk in there. I also thought was very odd. I’m a mix and can’t say “oh yeah, I’m white German” but it forced you to put something in there. Is “white mutt” appropriate? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/33 "2020-03-31T18:29:08Z")
I logged in uneventfully on the census site and got several questions in, then received a message saying the session was terminated due to a “security problem” and I should try again later. When I attempted to log in a couple minutes later, the site said my login ID was invalid. 😕:dubious: So I logged in the next morning with the same ID and was able to complete the census without any problem. Your government IT dollars at work. ---
**Author:** ![I.Dunno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9f8e36/32.png) [@I.Dunno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I.Dunno)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/34 "2020-03-31T22:45:27Z")
I have now collected the full set of large envelope, small envelope and the postcard. I’m now fully ready to do my census duty. I’m on it. Probably sometime later this week. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/35 "2020-04-01T00:01:17Z")
I’ve never been the person who filled it out for my household before, and given it took all of 5 minutes I don’t understand the need for hiring so many people as census takers. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565/36 "2020-04-01T01:53:23Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I’ve never been the person who filled it out for my household before, and given it took all of 5 minutes I don’t understand the need for hiring so many people as census takers. For all the people who don’t have internet access. For all the people who refuse to use the internet or phone to fill it out. For all the people who ignore the mail completely. For all the people who miss the mail completely. For all the homeless people. For all the undocumented people who are afraid to fill it out and need to be reassured in person. For all the people who can read the instructions that say “if you can’t read this…” There’s a lot of ground to cover in the US. In order to get all the people who manage to not fill it out online, even if it’s just a small percentage of PEOPLE, they still cover a large percentage of area (100%). It’s going to take an army of census takers to find them all in a month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/done-your-census-yet/850565.md?page=1)