Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families calls on business leaders, elected officials and nonprofit executives to encourage all Arkansans to participate in the 2020 U.S. Census. The request for leaders to #CommitToCount is available online at bit.ly/commit2countar.

We must make the 2020 U.S. Census a top priority for Arkansas. A lot of people don’t realize how much census data impacts our day-to-day lives. Our communities rely on federal funding based on census data for our schools, hospitals and roads. And when businesses are making decisions about where to open a factory or store, they often use census data. By adding their voices, the leaders who have signed this letter show the critical nature of the census to our state and local communities.

To date, more than 100 Arkansas leaders have signed on to show their support for a complete count in Arkansas, including Arkansas Children’s Hospital President and CEO Marcy Doderer, Fort Smith Mayor George B. McGill and Tyson Chief Sustainability Officer John R. Tyson.

Leaders across the state are encouraged to join them by visiting: bit.ly/commit2countar.

Below is the sign-on letter:

In 2020, Arkansans will be asked to do something that will impact many aspects of day-to-day life in our state for the next decade. It’s a simple ask: Be counted. An accurate census is critical to the economy of our state and the well-being of Arkansans. Census data is used by businesses when deciding where to locate and where to invest. The census guides the federal government when it allocates billions of dollars to Arkansas for education, health care and infrastructure. It determines how many representatives we send to Congress and how voting districts are drawn. If all Arkansans are counted, our state will be on a strong path over the next 10 years, helping our economy and ensuring that we have the resources we need to thrive. I support an accurate count in Arkansas next year and encourage everyone to be counted on April 1st.

See who has signed on, and learn more about Arkansas Counts here: https://arcounts.org/committocount/