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Viewpoint: Idaho prepares for the 2020 Census and how Idaho spends the lottery dividend

In Viewpoint, hear from Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, who is also co-chairing Idaho's Complete Count Committee, on how Idaho is planning for the U.S. Census.

BOISE, Idaho — The 2020 U.S. Census won't start for about another eight months, but the state of Idaho is already preparing for it. 

The Complete Count Committee that Gov. Brad Little created has now started meeting.

Its mission is to help the U.S. Census Bureau get the most accurate population count possible.  

And here's why accuracy is so important.

RELATED: Some Idaho Hispanic groups worry census outreach falls short

The bureau says the census helps determine how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to states and communities every year.

That money goes to things such as hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads and other public services.

Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney co-chairs the committee.  

"If you just do the math from the last census it was about $1,500 per person that was counted in federal funding, which over a 10-year period that's $15,000. So if you undercount by 100, you're talking a lot of money over the 10-year life of the census," Denney said.

The census is mandated by the Constitution and the U.S. has counted its population every decade since 1790.

Get more information on the census here.

This Sunday on Viewpoint, KTVB looks at the mission of the Complete Count Committee, how the count will be done this time around, and whether you need to worry about privacy when filling out the survey.

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