"The U.S. Census Bureau admits readily that it has had difficulty getting accurate counts of the people who live on American Indian reservations full time or part time.

But the Bureau will try to do better in the 2010 census.

An experiment going on right now on the Cheyenne River reservation in South Dakota holds promise of demonstrating a repair of the census methods ill-suited for use on reservations.

The problem is undercounting. It is the Census Bureau itself that suspects people aren't being identified - it just doesn't know how many.

Tribal members on the Cheyenne River reservation should do what they can to help make this experiment work.

The incentive is increased funding for a variety of programs for the benefit of the residents. If several hundred - and in the case of some tribes, thousands - of people fall through the cracks of any given census, the tribe loses out by just that fraction of the sum."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Census testing needs support (The Bismarck Tribune 4/4)

Relevant Links:
U.S. Census Bureau - http://www.census.gov

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