Not Too Late to Mail Your Census Forms!

THURSDAY, April 15 (Tax Day)

There’s still time…so fill out and mail back your census form TODAY!

After the 2000 Census, the Census Bureau was able to return $305 million in savings to the federal Treasury because mail rates exceeded expectations — a move the Census Bureau would like to repeat in 2010...

Mail back your 2010 Census form and help save taxpayer money:

For every 1 percent increase in the national participation rate by mail, the Census Bureau can save taxpayers $85 million by not having to send census takers door to door to households that failed to return their census forms.

If every household in the United States completed and mailed back their census form, taxpayers could reduce the cost of taking the census by $1.5 billion. It costs $.42 for people to mail back their form, compared to $57 for census takers to visit each home.

Let's get our fair share!!!

Go to www.census2010.gov for more information

You may also visit the Unity Diaspora Coalition Census 2010 website to see what we are doing across the country.

Go to http://unitydiaspora.ning.com/

Heating up With No Days To Go

This election has certainly turned out to be one of the most historic elections we have on the books. For instance, the campaigns have raised record amounts of contributions and for the first time a nomination for an African-American man for the democratic spot and a femail for the Republican Vice President spot. The dynamics are historic and we just dont have to sit idly by and watch. We can vote.

With that, I voted early this morning at approximately 8:30 a.m. Although it only took me 15 minutes to vote, I stood in line since 7:00 a.m. I waited one and a half hour to be a part of the election process. In fact, this is my first time voting early or even considering it. I even slept on the floor because I simply refused to stand for 1 hour and a half. Would not you? There is no way we can miss the excitement.

With only less than a day to go, we are turning up the volume on everything we are doing. Our entire office voted early, we sent out 100,000 church fans across the country for Sunday morning worship service. Some even made Bible Study. We have knocked on thousands of doors and put door hangars on the doors reminding voters how they need to prepare to vote at polling locations and a host of other get-out-the-vote strategies.

More importantly though, is voter protection. Once we vote, we have to consider that our vote is protected. If you feel like your vote has been compromised or better yet, someone elses vote, dial our 1.866.MYVOTE1 hotline and file a complaint. This complaint gives us an opportunity to understand and strategically approach voter protection issues.

On the more positive end, I listened to Oprah today on a conference call and she mentioned that folks need to get their families out when they go to the polls tomorrow. She said, "Take someone with you." The most important thing she said though was that we need to "...celebrate the vote." Regardless for whom you vote, vote.

I will be blogging tomorrow about the issues and really would appreciate your comments. See you soon.

Save-The-Date

Please Save-The-Date for the upcoming Black Youth Vote! Civic Leadership Training Conference in Washington, D.C. this November 13 - 15 as we deal with post-election issues and of course, a brand new president of the United States. No matter who that is, we are going to have to hold him or her accountable -- anything can happen to John McCain and Palin could also be the next president. The conference will kick-off with a Black Youth Vote! National Press Club Symposium on November 12, 2008 from 12-3 p.m. You will need to R.S.V.P. to blackyouthvote@ncbcp.org. Registration for the conference will be primarily on-line and will be available soon. I will keep you posted. Thanks for reading the blogspot and please leave a comment. Give yourself a voice on this BYV! blogspot.