Already hampered by the coronavirus, Census Bureau workers are now scrambling to visit households that haven't filled out a 2020 census form, trying to finish a count that's been cut short by a month.
Under pressure to meet legal deadlines that Congress hasn't changed despite pandemic-related delays, the Census Bureau announced a new end date after NPR reported that door knocking will be cut short.
Delayed by COVID-19, the Census Bureau had said it needed until Oct. 31 to finish a complete national head count. But the bureau's director now says it's planning to finish "as soon as possible."
Because of COVID-19, the Census Bureau says it can no longer deliver 2020 census results by the legal deadlines and needs extensions. So far, only Democrats have shown support for that request.
The Constitution says the count used to divide up seats in Congress must include every person living in the U.S. President Trump is calling for unauthorized immigrants to be left out.
The president is calling for unauthorized immigrants to be excluded from census numbers used to divide seats in Congress. The Constitution says the count must include every person living in the U.S.
With around four out of 10 homes nationwide left uncounted, Census Bureau workers are set to start making early in-person visits on July 30 to unresponsive households in more areas of the U.S.
To produce citizenship data that can be used when voting districts are redrawn, the Trump administration asked states to share their records. South Dakota agreed to do so in April, NPR has learned.
Despite the pandemic, Census Bureau officials say they've determined it's safe enough for visits to unresponsive homes in parts of Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.