First Presidency Urges Church Members to Participate in U.S. Census

In a letter to be read in all U.S. congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the First Presidency urged Mormons to participate in the 2010 United States Census:

"The United States Constitution mandates that a census be counted every ten years. This census is used to determine the makeup of state legislatures, local school boards, and other government bodies and to determine how many seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Church also uses census data for planning purposes.

"The Census Bureau will soon deliver census questionnaires to every household in America. We urge all members to respond to them in an accurate and timely manner. It is an important obligation for all citizens to be counted in the census."