JIll Schramm/MDN Rich Berg with the Souris Valley United Way runs through setup of one of three portable kiosks that will be made available in Minot for people to register for the 2020 Census. Kiosks went out following a Complete Count Committee Friday.

Minot takes on Grafton in the first round of the North Dakota League of Cities Census Craziness Tournament that starts next Thursday.

March 12 is the beginning of the 2020 Census count, and 16 large cities and 16 small cities are competing in separate brackets to see which can register the greater percentage of their residents by May 7.

Minot’s Complete Count Committee distributed promotional materials and announced plans Friday for kiosk locations where people can register with the census.

Brian Billingsley, the city’s community development officer and lead with council member Lisa Olson on the Complete Count Committee, said the goal is to exceed the 78% self-response rate achieved in the 2010 census. Census workers make follow-up calls on those who fail to respond to the census by early May.

Minot, which hopes to reach 50,000 residents in the 2020 Census, is paired in the first round of the Census Craziness Tournament with Grafton, with a population of about 4,000. Grafton’s self response rate in 2010 was 73%.

“So I like our chances,” Billingsley said. “We will do our best.”

If Minot can out-register Grafton in the first two weeks, it will take on the winner of the Fargo and Valley City matchup. Also competing for bragging rights in the Big City category are Watford City, Mandan, Bismarck, Devils Lake, Wahpeton, Williston, Jamestown, Dickinson, West Fargo, Grand Forks, Lincoln and Beulah.

Competing in the Small but Mighty contest are Hazen, Velva, Carrington, Kenmare, Bowman, Rolla, Thompson, Cooperstown, Hazelton, Garrison, Ray, Spiritwood Lake, Turtle Lake, Beach, Casselton and Wing.

The winning city in each bracket will receive a pizza party at its city council/commission meeting and be honored at the League of Cities conference in September.

Minot’s Complete Count Committee is urging people to register as soon as they get their forms from the Census Bureau. There are options to register online, by phone or by returning the form by mail.

The opportunity to register will start this weekend. A kiosk will be set up at the Minot Association of Builders’ Home and Garden Show in the State Fair Center.

In coming weeks, kiosks will be popping up around the community. Locations at which kiosks will be set up during certain days include MarketPlace Foods and Cash Wise groceries, Minot State University, soup kitchens and some churches. The Minot Ministerial Association, Minot Air Force Base, Minot Public Schools, Minot Board of Realtors and Kiwanis Clubs are among partners assisting with the kiosks. Standing Rock Sioux also will be participating during one week.

Several nonprofit organizations will have computer terminals available for people to use to register with the census. Some of permanent access locations are Minot Public Library, Parker Center, Community Action, United Way, Minot Area Homeless Coalition and Head Start.

The kiosks and computer access sites are available to anyone wishing to register. They are not restricted to Minot residents.

Anyone living in the United States should register, regardless of citizenship status.

“If the person is here illegally, we don’t care. We just want to count them,” said Joseph Roberson-Kitzman, partnerships specialist with the Census Bureau, Bismarck, who is assisting communities in western North Dakota. “We do not give out information to any secondary government agency. It stays with the Census Bureau.”

People also should register their address as of April 1. For those who have more than one residence, which might include a snowbird, college student or military member, they should register the place where they spend the larger share of the year.

People should fill out census questionnaires completely to avoid the need for a census worker to follow up.

A Census Day family event is scheduled for April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Minot Municipal Auditorium’s armory.