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Area residents pulled together in an extraordinary way to propel Fredonia into the winning position for Season 5 of Small Business Revolution. We are still pulling together to keep the National Comedy Center at the top of the vote count for USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards for Best New Museum. Remember to vote every day in the USA Today poll through noon, February 17. But we also have an important opportunity to make sure we are heard every day. The US Census will be conducted this year. The census is required by our Constitution, and every individual should be counted. This nationwide head count is vital to our county, our cities, and our governmental representation. Government programs rely on census figures to fund programs that maintain and improve our highways, fund schools, health clinics, and more. The census count also determines how legislative districts will be redrawn, and the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives. The Census Bureau considers Chautauqua County a “hard-to-count” area. That designation is based on numerous factors including renter occupied housing, multi-family housing units, the poverty level, linguistic barriers, and factors including lack of access to telephone and internet service. Our largely rural county, with a couple of pockets of small urban areas, fits some of that criteria. That’s why, as we have experienced a declining population for some time now, it is more important than ever that we count every single person in this year’s census. This year’s count will take place mostly online. In mid-March every household will receive a postcard in the mail asking them to respond online to the 2020 Census. Failure to respond will result in a couple of follow-up mailings, and eventually in a house to house canvass by Census workers. You will not be asked to provide any personal information such as Social Security or bank numbers. You will be asked simple questions about the age, sex, and number of people in your home, including children. All information collected by the Census is secure and protected by law. Answers are used to produce statistics only and cannot be used against you in any way by any government agency or organization. Please watch for your Census notification coming in March and respond quickly online. It’s fast, easy, and makes a world of difference for our communities when we get everyone counted.