U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves dropped by the Orange County home of the fourth president today to celebrate James Madison's birthday and encourage citizens to participate in a process that is as old as the nation itself.
120 million households will receive their 2010 Census forms in the mail this week and today is Madison's 259th birthday. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution requires a census of the population every 10 years to ensure the fair allocation of representatives in Congress - Madison is considered Father of the Constitution.
Groves stood in Madison's library today, the very room he used to draft the Virginia Plan that became the Constitution.
“I have devoted my professional career to the science of statistics — not history — yet being in this room profoundly reminds me of my own personal civic obligation to participate in the census and ensure we get it right,” Groves said.
The first census took place in 1790, counting nearly 4 million people. This year, the census expects to count more than 300 million people, most of those by mail response. Households are asked to take about 10 minutes to answer the 10 questions on the easy and safe 2010 Census form and mail it back.
“Please open the census envelope, fill out the simple form and mail it back,” Groves said. “Our Founding Fathers would be proud if in this moment we achieved what they too sought — a complete count of everyone in the country.”
Admission to Montpelier is free all day in honor of Madison's birthday.
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