Census Bill of Rights

YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS:

  1. To be counted in the 2020 Census.

    • Every person living in California on April 1, 2020, regardless of citizenship status, must be counted in the census.

  2. To participate in the federal decennial census free of threat or intimidation.

  3. To confidentiality and privacy.

    • Under federal law (Title 13), the U.S. Census Bureau is NOT allowed to share your individual census responses with the public or with other government agencies, such as immigration and law enforcement.

  4. To respond to the census either online, by telephone, or by paper.

  5. To request language assistance.

    • The printed census form will be available in only English and Spanish.
    • The online questionnaire and telephone assistance are available in the following languages: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Japanese.
    • The U.S. Census Bureau's Language Assistance Guides will be available in 59 non-English languages, including American Sign Language.

  6. To verify the identity of a census employee.

    • If a U.S. Census Bureau employee comes to your door or contacts you, you can ask to see identification or for their name to confirm they work for the Bureau. You have a right to refuse to provide any personal information to someone who comes to your door without federal identification that proves they are a U.S. Census Bureau employee.

SPECIAL NOTICE:

Under California law, a person who does either of the following is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both a fine and imprisonment:

  • Falsely represents that they are a census taker with the intent to interfere with the operation of the census or with the intent to obtain information or consent to an otherwise unlawful search or seizure.
  • Falsely assumes some or all of the activities of a census taker with the intent to interfere with the operation of the census or with the intent to obtain information or consent to an otherwise unlawful search or seizure.

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