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MARCH 2, 2001

In a move which might have dramatic impacts on Indian Country, the acting director of the US Census Bureau on Thursday recommended that no adjustment be made to the Census 2000 data used for political redistricting.

Although Secretary of Commerce Don Evans will make the final call, William Barron's decision virtually guarantees the Republican side of the Census debate will prevail. Arguing that last year's count was the best in history, the GOP and the Bush administration are pushing for the use of raw data to draw Congress' new political boundaries.

But while Democrats and civil rights groups concede the Census 2000 was an operational success, they contend minorities, children, and the poor were again overlooked in large numbers. A statistical adjustment, therefore, would be necessary to ensure all Americans are represented.

Historically, American Indians and Alaska Natives on and off reservations have been the most undercounted population. In 1990, some 12.2 percent of reservation residents were left off the Census.

This time around, the Census Bureau improved dramatically its on-reservation count. However, with a net undercount of 4.74 percent, American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations are still the most undercounted group in the country.

As Indian Country becomes more politically powerful, the impact of an undercount can be great. A number of Congressional House districts in Western states like New Mexico have a large number of American Indians and states also use Census data to draw their own political boundaries.

In states like Montana, a number of those districts are contained entirely within reservations. This helped three new American Indians join the Legislature, bringing the total of Indian Country representatives to six.

Additionally, states and local governments use Census data to plan for the future, including how to service Native American populations. University of New Mexico professor Ted Jojola last month studied the impacts of the 1990 undercount in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, metropolitan area and concluded even the smallest undercount can affect social services, education, and other programs for American Indians.

"Every American Indian and Native Alaskan does make a substantial difference," Jojola said.

Since the results are locked in for the next ten years, tribes themselves feel the impacts as well. Tribal planners say a slight change in raw data versus adjusted could mean the difference between a health clinic or a school.

The US Census Monitoring Board, an independent commission which reports on the Census, has been pushing for the use of an adjusted count. Co-chair Gilbert F. Casellas on yesterday said the Board accepted yesterday's recommendation but reserved comments pending further study.

"We applaud the tremendous efforts of the professionals at Census Bureau in achieving a successful census and we accept the Bureau's recommendation not to adjust the count at this time," said Casellas. "We are closely reviewing the data upon which the decision was made and will comment further in the coming weeks."

House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt (Missouri) and other Democratic leaders said they were disappointed with the recommendation and said they hoped it was made based on facts and not "political pressure." They called on the Bureau to release all estimates from the Census 2000 to the American public.

"Since the Bush administration took control of the Commerce Department, the path to this decision has been deeply troubling," they said.

Acting director Barron said his recommendation for no adjustment was a "difficult" one to make but based on the data and information so far, there was no reason to decide otherwise. Evans is expected to make a final decision next week.

Get the Census Report:
Executive Steering Committee for Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation Policy (US Census Bureau February 2001)

Get the US Census Monitoring Board Report on Indian Country Undercount:
Profiling the Native American Community in Albuquerque: Assessing the Impacts of Census Undercounts and Adjustments (US Census Monitoring Board February 2001)

Relevant Links:
US Census Monitoring Bureau - www.cmpb.gov
US Census Bureau - www.census.gov

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