Who is that masked person knocking at your door? Batman? The Lone Ranger? No it’s just your friendly U.S. Census taker and they are most likely a neighbor who lives and works in our community.

The Census Bureau wants to assure Moore County residents that if a census worker comes to your door, the person will be wearing a mask and will stay at least six feet away from your door after knocking or ringing the bell. They will present a government-issued photo I.D. so you can verify that they are a census worker. You are welcome to ask them for a second photo I.D. as well.  They will also be carrying a bag with the census logo and a data collection device such as a cell phone or tablet with the census bureau logo on it. If you would like to further verify that the person is a census taker, you can call the Philadelphia Regional Census Center at 267-780-2600 and provide the name of the person visiting you.

“The census taker will only ask for the name of the householder, whether they are renting or purchasing/own the home, a contact phone number, and the name, birth-date, race, and relationship to the householder for each person living in the home,” a Census Bureau press release stated. “They will also ask whether this is the person’s primary residence. This should take five to 10 minutes.”

Under Federal law, everything you say to a census worker is considered confidential and cannot be shared with anyone, including any government agency. All Census workers take an Oath of Office and an Oath of Secrecy that they are bound to for life. A Census worker can be subject to a five year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine for failure to maintain the privacy of respondents.

If you would like to avoid answering these questions on your porch, you can self-respond to the census online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 844-330-2020, or mail back the completed paper questionnaire if you received one.

Also, the 2020 Census is still hiring and could use Non Response Follow Up (NRFU) members in this area. If you’d like to apply, visit the Census Career Site by clicking here. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Moore County … covering Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, the Lynchburg Music Fest, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}