Putting the Census at Risk

[Woodmonkey]

Putting the Census at Risk

The next census is in 2010. But whether the Census Bureau has the means to ensure the accuracy of the count — which determines everything from how federal aid is apportioned to how many Congressional seats are given to each state — will be decided this week. Right now, the portents for an accurate count are not good.

By Friday, Congress is expected to pass a stopgap funding measure to keep the government operating through mid-November. It would hold government spending at last year’s levels and give Congress and the White House more time to try to iron out their differences on the actual appropriations bills.

Many parts of the government can hold spending flat for a while. But this close to a decennial census, the Census Bureau cannot — even for six weeks. The bureau is currently ramping up for a full dress rehearsal for the next census. If funding is not forthcoming, the rehearsal will have to be scaled back or canceled.

That would virtually guarantee a flawed census. The rehearsal has been an integral part of the census since 1970. It tests and fine-tunes every detail of the process, including recruiting census takers, advertising, mailing questionnaires and coordinating the computer and statistical systems used to scan, tabulate, analyze and compile the results.

Especially imperiled by a funding delay is a contract for the hand-held computers that the bureau intends to use for the first time in 2010.

It is still possible to make an exception in the stopgap measure to ensure the necessary funding for the census. Mr. Bush requested full funding for the bureau’s preparatory efforts in his 2008 budget, so there is no disagreement about the money. And at the White House’s request, several other exceptions are in the works, including additional spending for the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants.

President Bush should request the necessary funds to achieve a fair and accurate census. If he doesn’t, Congress should include it anyway. An accurate count is essential to a healthy democracy.

The Source