Early end to US census counting sparks accuracy fears ahead of crucial presidential election

Census data is used to distribute federal spending on vital public services such as schools

Deadline changed from 31 October to 30 September (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The US Census Bureau has announced it will stop collecting field data for 2020 by the end of September – a month earlier than previously planned.

In a statement released on Monday, the bureau confirmed that door-knocking efforts, online forms and responses by mail and phone will be axed by 30 September.

The move is part of an effort to “accelerate the completion of data collection and apportionment counts” by the end of the year deadline, said Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham.

But critics have argued the move is a sign that the Trump administration has abandoned its pledge to count the nation’s population by the end of October.

Officials previously said the deadline had been extended due to the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

The new plans mean that households must complete a census survey through one of the methods outlined above by September 30, rather than 31 October.

“The Census Bureau’s new plan reflects our continued commitment to conduct a complete count, provide accurate apportionment data, and protect the health and safety of the public and our workforce,” Dillingham added.

However, bringing forward the deadline date means that many US citizens may fail to respond, resulting in accurate population numbers.

Census data collection has been hugely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The virus struck when counting had been ramped up back in March for the once-a-decade national survey.

At the height of the pandemic, bureau chiefs were forced to suspend field operations, although many have since resumed.

Data from the census is vital as it helps to determine how many representatives each state gets in Congress.

Information from the census is also used to distribute billions of dollars in federal spending on schools, roads, and other vital public services.

Most of this year’s data collecting efforts have been done online, by phone and mail because of the pandemic.

But field operations will still need to take place to reach minorities, vulnerable people and those who have been shielding from the virus.

“This new deadline allows Trump to cheat hard-to-count communities of color out of the resources needed for everything from health care and education to housing and transportation for the next 10 years,” said Asian Americans Advancing Justice, one of the groups that successfully sued over the administration’s plan to ask a citizenship question to the census.

Meanwhile, Democrats and campaigners have become concerned that the White House is pressuring the bureau into ending counting early in order to benefit Republicans when House seats are reapportioned and voting districts are drawn.

Dillingham remains adamant that this year’s survey will be “complete and accurate”.

“Building on our successful and innovative Internet response option, the dedicated women and men of the Census Bureau, including our temporary workforce deploying in communities across the country in upcoming weeks, will work diligently to achieve an accurate count,” he said.