WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) marked April 1 by urging Missourians to return their forms for the 2010 Census.

“So much of our congressional apportionment and federal funding depend on an accurate count of our Missouri population,” Emerson said.  “It’s crucial that we have a high level of participation in the Census, especially in rural areas of the state.  The alternative is to rely on the projections of the Census to estimate population in our region with a result that may or may not reflect the needs of our roads, schools and communities.”

Emerson noted, too, that filling out and returning Census forms is a constitutional requirement of federal law.

“This is one of the shortest Census forms in history, with only ten questions.  In ten minutes or less, we can all meet our civic obligation to obtain an accurate count of the U.S. population,” Emerson said.  “A poor response rate really hurts the publicly-funded institutions in our communities.”

A website is available from the U.S. Census to track participation rates across the country:  http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map