Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010. Wilton PO box holders complain about census Photo by Gary Soto U.S. Census forms will not be distributed to these post office boxes in Wilton or any other post office boxes around the country. In rural Wilton, some residents receive mail exclusively at the post office as a deterrent to mail theft at their physical address. By Barbara Edwards River Valley Times Reporter - It has come to the attention of Wilton Postmaster Marvin Yokoi that 2010 U.S. Census forms will not be distributed to post office boxes, causing some residents in Wilton to complain about the situation. In rural areas such as Wilton, some citizens exclusively utilize a post office box to receive their mail. This is sometimes a precautionary measure against mail theft because mailboxes at physical addresses are often far from the home. “Reasons for having a PO box really run the gamut,” Yokoi said. “But security is definitely one reason.” A Wilton resident, who asked to be unidentified, was surprised not to receive a census form. "I share a driveway with another family, and mail can get confused. It has just been easier for years to have a PO box," she said. "But I feel a bit like a second class citizen to be ignored by the Census Bureau." Robin L. Wyvill, public information officer for the U.S. Census Bureau, confirmed that PO box holders will not receive a census form. “The census is all about counting people where they live and sleep,” Wyvill said. “So we must tie each form to a physical location.” Wyvill did say that the situation is treated differently if a census form is sent to a physical address and is returned. "If we send a form to the physical address and the post office doesn’t recognize it as a mailing address, they will return that form to us as undeliverable,” Wyvill said. "If the form is returned, the address is added to a list to be followed up on by census workers beginning in May. There is a solution for residents - albeit an inconvenient one - as there is a Be Counted site where a census form can be picked up at the Elk Grove Library located at 8900 Elk Grove Boulevard. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 2-4 p.m. For more information on the census process, call the U.S. Census Bureau Call Center at 1-800-923-8282. This is an Online publication of The River Valley Times PO Box 209 Wilton CA 95693 (800) 700-2166 For comments or questions, email us President: Roy Herburger rherburger@herburger.net. Editorial email rvt@herburger.net Managing Editor: Judith Unzner rvt@herburger.net. Publisher: David Herburger dherburger@herburger.net. Advertising Director:Jim O'Donnell advertising@herburger.net. Advertising Sales:Donna Kendro dkendro@herburger.net Webmaster:Daniel Herburger daniel@thegaltherald.com. Front Page - Wilton - Rancho Murieta - Opinion - Obituaries - Archive - Real Estate - Classified - Subscribe - Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times. Web page design, Copyright 2005, EZ Edit Web Publishing.