TEXARKANA - The mayors of both Texarkanas challenged each other Tuesday to boost U.S. Census response rates, wagering a week's worth of wardrobe.
Arkansas-side Mayor Allen Brown, Texas-side Mayor Bob Bruggeman and teams comprising members of the local Joint Census Committee plan to push for more Census responses from residents. Whichever city has the highest rate at the end of August will win bragging rights, and the losing city's mayor will wear clothes representing the opposite state for a week.
"Let us have some fun, while making a difference in our community," a news release stated. "Let's make an impact by making sure everyone gets counted so our community can have the resources it needs."
The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census be conducted every 10 years. Census data is used to determine the number of seats each state holds in the U.S. House of Representatives and informs how lawmakers will allocate billions of dollars in federal funds to local communities.
As of Thursday, in Texarkana, Arkansas, 56.5% of residents had responded to the Census, compared with 53% in Miller County and 57.5% in Arkansas. Texarkana, Texas' response rate was 55.6%, compared with 56.9% in Bowie County and 57.7% in Texas. The national response rate was 62.7%.
For more information or to complete the Census questionnaire, visit my2020census.gov. Assistance is available in English at 844-330-2020 and in Spanish at 844-468-2020.