The 2020 Census has been hailed by all of Alabama’s political leaders as a crucial moment for the state, and on Wednesday, the Alabama Community System kick-started their initiative to make sure every Alabamian gets counted.

Representatives from each of Alabama’s 24 community colleges were joined in Montgomery by officials from the state government and U.S. Census Bureau.

“As trusted members of their communities and with locations throughout the state, Alabama’s community colleges are perfect partners as we seek to make it as easy as possible for Alabamians to participate in the 2020 Census,” said Kenneth Boswell, director of ADECA and head of the state’s turnout effort for the 2020 Census.

Alabama’s community college system was awarded an $80,000 grant by ADECA in December 2019 to help fund centers on campuses where Alabamians can come to fill out the census forms.

“Our colleges serve more than 174,000 students each year and when combined with our more than 9,000 employees in every corner of the state it is evident that the ACCS can have a significant impact on Alabama’s 2020 census count,” said ACCS Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker.

Often noted by Alabama leaders like Governor Kay Ivey is the possibility of Alabama losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives if every citizen is not counted. Such a loss would have negative repercussions for how much federal money and projects the state would be able to acquire.

“We are not only committed to ensuring that every student and employee at our colleges is counted – community is in our name and it’s important that we help educate Alabamians in communities across the state on the importance of the census and provide avenues that assist with completion,” added Baker.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.