It looks like a census form. It says it’s a census form. But…it’s not from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A political fundraising letter calling itself a “2019 Congressional District Census” recently landed in Alabama mailboxes, asking voters to fill out a survey and donate money to help re-elect President Donald Trump.

A reader reached out to AL.com to ask about the mailer, which resembles a census form and comes in an envelope marked “DO NOT DESTROY OFFICIAL DOCUMENT.”

“We have been contacted about this type of mailing by a couple of people over the past few months,” said Mike Presley, with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, the state agency assisting with the 2020 U.S. Census.

“While this form resembles the general look of a census form, it is from a political party and is in no way related to the 2020 Census.”

A four-page letter accompanying the survey calls it a “Census Document” that is “extremely important to our nation’s future.”

“President Trump has requested that a Census of every Congressional District be conducted immediately” says the letter. It also asks for a donation of $25 to $1,000.

When reached for comment, a Republican party official said the mailers were clearly marked that they are from the Republican National Committee.

The “census document” asks voters questions like “Do you think ‘political correctness’ has gotten out of hand in America?” and “Do you approve or disapprove of the Democrats’ never-ending witch hunt to try to impeach President Trump?”

Similar census-style political mailers have been sent this year to Republican voters in states including Montana, New York and Missouri. In October, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat, released a statement in October denouncing the mailers.

Bullock said: "These imitation Census surveys are designed to confuse Montanans, and make them think they may need to respond and pay the suggested processing fee."

In Missouri, a legislator called for an investigation into mailers he said would confuse constituents who may believe they filled out a real census form.

But a political donation letter styled to look like a census document isn’t new.

About a decade ago, Congress passed the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act to bar non-government agencies from putting “census” on mailers. The law makes exceptions for “census” mailers that include a disclaimer and a return address identifying the sender.

The U.S. Census Bureau will mail out 2020 Census forms in Alabama beginning March 12, 2020, said Presley. The U.S. Census Bureau won’t ask for a monetary donation or any bank account or credit card information.

“The 2020 Census is very important to the future of our state, with funding for many important programs that support schools, roads, health care and dozens of other areas of our state,” he said.

Readers who are unsure about the veracity of mailed census documents can check www.census.alabama.gov, email Alabama’s census office at icount@census.alabama.gov or call the U.S. Census Bureau’s hotline at 800-923-8282.