California is home to over 1.8 million former service members, which is the largest veteran population of any state in the United States. Veterans — particularly those who are recently transitioning into civilian life, older adults, experiencing homelessness or housing insecurities, and people with disabilities — are oftentimes under counted during the Census.
This veteran-centric Census 2020 effort focuses on reaching and engaging hard-to-count veterans. Legionnaires can share messaging from the California Complete Count – Census 2020 to reach veterans and motivate them to participate in the 2020 Census.
As a veterans service organization the American Legion knows our service population and we are their trusted messengers, which uniquely positions us to play a key role in connecting veterans to Census 2020 resources during outreach efforts.
Let’s pool our collective resources and voices to ensure a complete count of California’s veterans by:
Sharing information
Share Census 2020 messaging in the toolkit with veterans at events. Include messaging and talking points in the toolkit in presentations to internal and external audiences.
Staying informed
Go to census.ca.gov/resource/veterans for resources and to learn more about what California is doing to reach veterans and support a Complete Count for the 2020 Census.
Speaking out
Include the importance of completing the 2020 Census as you engage veterans in your network to build awareness.
Championing
Encourage the veterans you serve to become Census 2020 champions to their families and loved ones, neighbors, and peer circles.
An accurate Census count in California ensures we receive our fair share of federal funds that support many of the programs our organizations provide to veterans, such as: health care, job training, higher education, and other social services.
