Congress investigates Census Bureau miscounting in key states
- Congress will hold a hearing on December 5 to investigate 2020 Census miscounts.
- Significant discrepancies were found between undercounting in Republican states and overcounting in Democratic states.
- The hearing aims to ensure future censuses accurately reflect U.S. citizens for fair political representation.
In December 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau will undergo significant scrutiny during a congressional hearing led by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. This investigation arises from findings of the 2020 Census, which indicated that instances of miscounts disproportionately affected Republican-leaning states while benefiting Democratic-leaning ones, thus altering the distribution of congressional seats and Electoral College votes. The hearing will specifically analyze the 2020 Post-Enumeration Survey, which revealed substantial discrepancies in population counting in 14 states. It was noted that Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas experienced significant undercounts, while states like Delaware, Minnesota, and Hawaii were overcounted. This prompted concerns from lawmakers, particularly by House Oversight Chairman James Comer, about the refusal to account for illegal immigration when counting the population, which could misrepresent the allocations based on citizenship. U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Santos, appointed by President Joe Biden, is expected to provide testimony and assurances about the integrity of the forthcoming 2030 Census, amidst calls for legal reforms to include citizenship questions on the census form. Such measures aim to ensure a more accurate representation of U.S citizens in future population counts, which is vital for fair political representation.