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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 28, 2019

Governor Hutchinson Issues Executive Order Establishing the Arkansas Census 2020 Complete Count Committee

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LITTLE ROCK – Today, Governor Asa Hutchinson issued Executive Order 19-12 ([link removed]) to establish the Arkansas Complete Count Committee to promote statewide participation in the 2020 Census. The Arkansas Complete Count Committee will consist of 30 volunteer members appointed by the Governor from state, municipal, and county government, as well as citizen and private sector representatives. 

Fort Smith Mayor George McGill will serve as Chair, and Shelby Johnson, Director of the Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office, will serve as Vice Chair. 

“Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau surveys the United States to determine the nation’s population,” said Governor Hutchinson. “April 1, 2020, is Census Day. In Arkansas, we’ve been preparing for years, and an accurate count of Arkansas’s population is critical. The most obvious reason is that the federal government allocates funding back to the states based upon population counts. An undercount of even 1 percent could cost Arkansas $990 million over the next decade.”

By this Executive Order, Governor Hutchinson is directing the Arkansas Complete Count Committee to establish a public-awareness campaign to promote citizen participation in the 2020 census; to provide recommendations on how best to reach hard-to-count communities within the state; and to work with municipal and county governments to form local complete count committees. In addition, should the need arise, the committee will provide recommendations for future funding to support this statewide effort.

The committee will meet monthly and shall submit a census progress report to the Governor no later than November 1, 2019; a census day report to the Governor no later than April 1, 2020; and a final census report no later than December 31, 2020.

“The process is easier than ever,” said Governor Hutchinson. “You can respond on your personal computer, your smartphone, or your tablet. If you prefer, you may respond the old-fashioned way by mailing your paper questionnaire to the Census Bureau. Whichever way you choose to participate, please do. Arkansas’s population recently climbed above 3 million for the first time, and we need your help to ensure that every person is counted for the benefit of the entire state.”

Article I of the United States Constitution, as amended by the Fourteenth Amendment, requires an enumeration of the population every ten years in the form of a census, with the next decennial count scheduled to occur on or about April 1, 2020. 

The United States Census Bureau estimates the State of Arkansas has seen an increase of nearly 3.4 percent in population since the last decennial census, which occurred on April 1, 2010. Arkansas surpassed 3 million residents in 2017 and has since grown by 0.4 percent to roughly 3,013,825 residents.

Members of the Arkansas Complete Count Committee are as follows:

George McGill – Chair
Mayor, Fort Smith 

Shelby Johnson – Vice Chair
Director, Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office

Andrés Rhodes
Associate Legal Counsel, Office of Governor

Cory Cox
Chief of Staff, Office of Attorney General

Dwight Southerland
Chief of Staff, Office of Secretary of State

Representative Justin Gonzales
House District 19

Representative Milton Nicks Jr.
House District 50

Senator Jane English
Senate District 34

Senator Greg Leding
Senate District 4

Colonel (Ret.) Nate Todd
Secretary, Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs

Leon Jones
Director, Arkansas Fair Housing Commission

Courtney Pledger
Director, Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN)

Carolyn Ashcraft 
State Librarian

Dr. Laurence Alexander
Chancellor, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB)

Shawndra Taggart
County Clerk, Jefferson County

Josephine Griffin
Circuit Clerk, Chicot County

Terri Hollingsworth
County Clerk, Pulaski County

Becky Lewallen
County Clerk, Washington County

Mickey Pendergrass 
County Judge, Baxter County

Harry Brown
Mayor, Stephens

Charles Snapp
Mayor, Walnut Ridge

Joe Dan Yee
Mayor, Lake Village

Jeff Brown
Mayor, De Queen

James Sanders
Mayor, Blytheville

Pamela Willrodt
Demographer, Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI)/Arkansas Census Data Center

John R. Tyson
Tyson Foods

Miriam Ramirez
Attorney, Ramirez Law Firm 

Herbert Morales
Arkansas Minority Business Advisory Council

Robert Tellez
Attorney, Tellez Law Firm 

Melisa Laelan
Founder, Arkansas Coalition of Marshallese/Court-certified Interpreter for Marshallese

The final census report shall document all efforts undertaken by the Arkansas Complete Count Committee as well as the efforts of all local and independent complete count committees in the state after Census Day and in anticipation of final apportionment counts by the U.S. Census Bureau. 

CONTACT: Press Shop ([email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=)v or 501.682.3642)

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Governor's Office State Capitol | 500 Woodlane Street, Suite 250 | Little Rock, AR 72201 US

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