As of July 1, 2019, the Latino population in the United States is 60.6 million, according to the Census Bureau. That means Latinos constitute 18.5 percent of the nation’s population, making people of Latino origin the largest minority in the country.

However, because of language barriers and fear of self-reporting due to their immigration status, many Latino households are at grave risk of being undercounted in the 2020 Census.

Yet, the effects of being undercounted are devastating: it means political boundaries may not accurately reflect reality, which would prevent Latinos from having a full voice in policy decisions in Washington, D.C.

As a result, the real needs of the Latino community may not be prioritized or reflect the true state of the Latino population.

Undercounting Latinos in the 2020 Census could also impact how federal funding is allocated to our state for federally funded programs that affect our education, food and nutrition, health care, and housing programs. These programs are based in whole — or in part — on Census-derived data, and they include: Head Start, SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and CHIP.

Time is running out. Help your community. Fill out the Census and be counted today.

Visit my2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020 (English) or 844-468-2020 (Spanish). #2020Census, #MakeILCount, #HazQueILCuente.