FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Government officials hope most Baldwin County residents will take part in something that has been conducted as regular as clockwork since 1790. The 2010 U.S. Census questionnaires will begin arriving in mailboxes next month, and although it is not a crime if you don’t mail yours back, not doing so could lead to the loss of so much.

“There’s no penalty if you don’t return the form,” said Annette Coward, a U.S. Census Bureau spokesperson for the Atlanta region. “It’s less funding for the community. They’re penalizing the community.”

That’s because the full count, which census officials are referring to as a “Snapshot of America” in promotional advertising, determines the number of U.S. Representatives that Alabama and other states have in Congress, as well as how much federal funding is earmarked for a wide number of program and infrastructure needs here at home.

Census Day is April 1. Responses on the questionnaire should reflect each household as it exists on that date, according to instructions included with the packet. The individual in whose name the housing unit is owned or rented should complete the questionnaire on behalf of every person living in the residence, including relatives and non-relatives.

Many households will receive a replacement questionnaire in early April. Coward said Census enumerators will then go door-to-door in June and July to follow up on packets that were not returned. All will carry identification proving they are employed by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The U.S. Constitution requires a national census be taken once every 10 years. It is designed to show state population counts, something vitally important when the big pie is divided.

Each year, the federal government can allocate more than $400 billion to states and communities based in part on census data. Participation in the census will result in more accurate data that helps determine locations for schools, roads, hospitals, job training, child-care, senior citizen centers and much more, according to officials.

The 2010 Census contains only 10 questions, one of the shortest in history and Coward said it should take just 10 minutes to complete. She noted that by law, the Census Bureau can’t share an individual’s responses with anyone, under threat of a $250,000 fine.

“No personal information will be given out,” Coward said. “Even the president doesn’t know.”

Those in the country illegally have nothing to fear from returning a census questionnaire. Coward said, “Illegals receive services as well. We are not ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). We are not looking at your citizenship status.”

Controversy has already arisen from the survey. Black, African American or Negro is given as an ethnic choice on the first page of the questionnaire. Some feel the term “Negro” is racially divisive, but Coward said many respondents to the 2000 Census wrote that in a blank space provided on the form.

“Washington decided to include it. Because of the generational aspect, some were feeling self-identified by that.”

A public relations blitz to raise awareness at the local level is already under way. Census officials from the Atlanta office were in the area Mardi Gras week, passing out information, along with goody bags to those who stopped by their specially marked caravan. Coward said, “It’s to make people understand what the census is. It’s important to let people know why we do what we do.”

Census questionnaire language assistance guides are available in a variety of languages. Questionnaire Assistance Centers will also assist those unable to read or understand the questionnaire.

Large-print questionnaires are available to the visually impaired upon request, and a Teletext Device for the Deaf (TDD) program will help the hearing impaired.

Census Bureau workers will undertake extensive operations to include in-person counts of people living in group quarters, such as college dormitories, military barracks, nursing homes and shelters, as well as those who have been displaced by natural disasters.

Because the census form is relatively simple, more detailed socioeconomic information will be collected randomly each year from a small percentage of the population through the American Community Survey.

For more information about the 2010 U.S. Census, visit www.2010.census.gov, or call the U.S. Census Bureau office in Mobile at (251) 650-9020.