Census officials racing to fix errors
The U.S. Census Bureau says the data irregularities that are putting in jeopardy a year-end deadline for turning in numbers used for divvying up congressional seats affect only a tiny percentage of the records and are being resolved as quickly as possible.
The statistical agency’s statement was issued as the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing Thursday on the data abnormalities, which likely will force a delay in when the Census Bureau turns in the apportionment numbers, to several weeks past a Dec. 31 deadline.
The timeline remains in flux for turning in the apportionment numbers used for deciding how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets in future elections, the Census Bureau said in a statement late Wednesday.
“These kinds of anomalies and issues are expected and are similar to the Census Bureau’s experience in prior decennial censuses,” the bureau said. “What is certain is that the Census Bureau is working to thoroughly correct and address all issues and anomalies as a part of its mission to deliver accurate 2020 Census data products as close to the statutory deadline as possible.“
The data anomalies represent less than seven-tenths of 1 percent of records, according to the Census Bureau. But experts testifying at Thursday’s House hearing said that even errors of just tens of thousands of people out of the nation’s 330 million residents can affect which states get an extra congressional seat or lose one.
“Small numbers do have a big impact at this point in the census,” said J. Christopher Mihm, managing director of strategic issues Government Accountability Office.
Members of the House committee led by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, said the Trump administration has blocked the release of documents they requested about the data anomalies.
The House committee was nevertheless able to obtain three new internal agency documents, and they show the bureau plans to deliver the apportionment numbers to the president no earlier than Jan. 23, whichwould be after President Donald Trump leaves office and President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The documents also show that the anomalies affect hundreds of thousands of records, according to the committee.