The U.S. Census Bureau and the North Dakota Complete Count Task Force hosted a grand opening event Thursday for the North Dakota Area Census Office in Bismarck.

Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford spoke at the event, promoting participation in Census 2020 and highlighting the important work of the North Dakota 2020 Complete Count Task Force behind the statewide outreach effort.

“Participation outreach is crucial for an accurate census count, and the task force is working to ensure everyone is represented in Census 2020,” Sanford said. “Data from the census survey affects everything from voting districts to the distribution of billions of dollars for local communities, highways and schools, so it’s essential that everyone be counted.”

Gov. Doug Burgum appointed task force leaders across the state to ensure every North Dakotan is counted in Census 2020. Consisting of two co-chair leaders and six subcommittees led by community leaders, the task force will promote and encourage participation in every area of the state. In addition to their areas, subcommittees will focus on several unique populations: Bakken region workers, Native Americans, retirees, military members, college students and immigrants.

“The grand opening showcased the new location which will house Census Bureau managers, staff, materials and equipment needed to support the 2020 Census efforts for North Dakota,” said Linda Svihovec, co-chair of Census 2020 Complete Task Force. “Census office employees will be conducting local census operations to guarantee that a complete count of North Dakota residents is reached in 2020.“