A Champion for the Census?

Confirmed by the Senate last week, Gary Locke, the new commerce secretary, is off to a good start. For his first official act, he attended a Census 2010 kick-off rally in the capital on Monday morning, after taking a red eye from his home state of Washington.

His attendance raises hope that the Obama administration is now truly focused on the upcoming census, which was largely mismanaged and undermined during the Bush years. As a result of those policies, the census is widely acknowledged to be at high risk of failure unless emergency remedial action is taken.

Mr. Locke’s high-profile attention to the census comes not a moment too soon. The decennial count starts in earnest this week, as 140,000 census workers, deployed out of 150 local offices, begin a street-by-street canvassing operation to verify and update more than 145 million addresses. Based on the canvassing results, some 120 million households will receive specially bar-coded census forms by mail early next year.

If all goes according to plan, about two-thirds of the recipients will complete and return the form; the government will try to interview the remainder in person by dispatching hundreds of thousands of census takers to nonrespondents’ homes. And that is only a snapshot of the undertaking. In terms of personnel, logistics, statistical expertise, managerial support and sheer human effort, the decennial census is the nation’s largest nonmilitary mobilization.

Mr. Locke has much to do besides rally the troops. The administration must, without further delay, nominate a new census director. Currently, the bureau is being run by civil servants who are dedicated and proficient but lack the authority — and political support — that comes from a director who has the ear of the commerce secretary.

Since it will probably take several months for a director nominee to be vetted and confirmed, Mr. Locke must also begin to tackle some of the thorniest census problems on his own. For instance, in the run-up to other censuses, the federal government has eased up on immigration raids and other intimidating forms of immigration enforcement in an effort to cut down on the number of people who are afraid to be counted. The word must go out from the Obama administration that it expects the same cooperation as the 2010 count approaches.

Mr. Locke and the administration must also undo some of the most damaging census decisions by the Bush administration — like the decision earlier in this decade to push the date for cross-checking the census numbers back to October 2010. The census counts people in the country as of April 1, 2010, and the double-check on the numbers — which reveals an undercount or overcount — has always taken place in June or July. If the numbers are not checked until October, it will be virtually impossible to get a gauge of their accuracy, because the longer the time between the count and the cross-check, the less reliable the data will be.

Inclusiveness and accuracy are essential to an honest, robust count. After years of neglect, it will take a heroic effort to pull off a worthy 2010 census. We applaud Mr. Locke’s initial effort.

Missouri could keep all of its current congressional seats and secure additional federal funding if more residents fill out next year’s census. Officials say if 60,000 extra people fill out the form next year, Missouri may not lose a U.S. House seat and the state could receive a larger share of health care and education funding based on census data. From KOMU Missouri:

JEFFERSON CITY – The Complete Count Committee, a 26 member organization of state community leaders, met Monday to discuss how to prevent Missouri from loosing federal benefits due to the 2010 census.

Analysts predict Missouri will lose one of its nine representatives and federal funding for things like Head Start programs, emergency food and shelter, and public transportation because of population loss.

Changes, including a shorter 10-question census and hand-held computers with Global Positioning System, will make canvassing by census employees smoother.

The CCC says its main goal is to get people whose addresses they don’t have to still respond to the census. They can’t contact these people through the mail, and so those residents have to go to census collection sites to be counted.

The CCC is gathering support to create divisional CCCs at the state, local, and community levels. These volunteer groups will conduct events and activities to inform people of the importance of the census. In the past census, groups ranging from college sororities to ethnic community groups have taken on the role of a CCC to count hard-to-reach groups.

“With their cooperation, they’re able to assist us at the state, where maybe the state in its totality, doesn’t know those same pockets, can’t get to the same community members, and so they basically become a vital resource,” said Kelvin Simmons of the Office of Administration.

Most  colleges give their students a week off in March for Spring Break. This coincides with the exact time that the Census Bureau will be making its final push to collect data before Census Day (April 1, 2010). Will college students, who are meant to be counted as residents of wherever they go to school, forgo trips to Cancun and Jamaica to fill out census paperwork? Probably not. Can we say that this is an “accident waiting to happen?” Absolutely….

With only 365 days to go before Census Day (April 1, 2010), MyTwoCensus.com continues our series on improving the U.S. Census Bureau’s hiring practices:

Problem 2: The Census Bureau’s field positions like “crew leader” are not filled by applicants who possess the proper skills for the job.

The Government Accountability Office’s 2007 report titled “2010 Census: Census Bureau should refine recruiting and hiring efforts and enhance training of temporary field staff” (hereafter referred to as the GAO 2007 Report) clearly states that the current system for hiring crew leaders does not produce employees with the proper skill sets needed for their jobs:

“The competencies needed by a crew leader were different from those required in other field positions. For example, while it was important for field staff working in the nonresponse follow-up operation to have arithmetic and visual identification skills, crew leaders need skills such as management, leadership, and creative thinking. Bureau officials stated that crew leaders are also responsible for providing on-the-job training where necessary and will accompany workers who are facing problems. Further, with the reengineering of the 2010 Census, crew leaders are responsible for troubleshooting the handheld computers that other field staff uses to collect census data.

We reviewed the Bureau’s hiring tools during the 2006 test and found that they do not differentiate between crew leaders and other field positions. Bureau officials said they do not expect to revise these tools for the 2010 Census because the selection guide used during phone interviews has two sets of questions for the crew leaders. However, these two sets of questions do not specifically ask whether applicants have experience in providing training or using computers. One set of questions asked candidates if they were familiar with the area in which they live and the second set of questions asked about their leadership experiences and willingness to lead others. Officials told us that the selection tools the Bureau plans to use in the 2010 Census will be largely unchanged from those used in Census 2000 and the 2004 and 2006 tests.”

In an era where Google Maps can depict every structure in America using satellite photos, “familiarity” with specific streets and neighborhoods is unnecessary for crew leaders. The Census Bureau should instead hire crew leaders based on the aforementioned management, leadership, and creative thinking skills necessary to successfully complete the decennial headcount.

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An article from the Northwest Cable News illustrates some great findings from researchers at the University of Washington who feel that race data has been inaccurately collected because there have been too few choices on previous census forms:

New research by the University of Washington finds that many Americans, especially Hispanics and Latinos, don’t consider themselves black, white or American Indian, three of the top choices on the 2000 census.

Dr. Tony Perez from UW says there is a massive disconnect between common ideas about race and the way the government officially classifies and measures people.

Perez found a large of number of people classified themselves as “some other race,” making that classification the third largest group behind whites and blacks.

“(This) gets you into this weird space where you have non-Hispanic whites versus Hispanic whites, blacks, so forth and so on,” he said.

Jan McStay with the census bureau says for 2010 there will be some clarifications. For instance there will be a choice for ethnic origin and then race.

“I think we have a very accurate portrait of who we and how we see ourselves in America,” said McStay.

The study also delves into the issue of mixed race classifications.

The full report is now available in the March issue of the journal Population and Development Review.

Since MyTwoCensus was unable to send staff to this morning’s kickoff event at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C., we turn to our fellow census aficionado Ed O’Keefe of The Washington Post for his live coverage of the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Parnter Kick-off event:

12:10 p.m.: Wrapup: As the meetings wrap and participants prepare for a networking lunch, Census officials note this is the first time they’ve hosted this type of event in Washington to bring together national partners. Roughly 250 people attended this meeting, representing a small sampling of the tens of thousands of national and local groups that will help the Census boost participation and erase concerns about the count.

11:32 a.m.: Congressional Oversight: Rep. William Clay (D-Mo.) chairman of the House subcommittee with oversight of the Census, will tell audience members later today that “We need to know what’s happening in your communities and how we can help you. We will also depend on you to expose any attempts to misinform or deceive the public by those who are attempting to suppress the count.” Reinforcing the message of Census Bureau officials, Clay says that “We have heard time and time again about sinister tricks to dissuade immigrants from completing their census forms. As trusted voices, you can speak, and people will listen to you. Let your communities know that the census is confidential and they need not fear their government. That the information they provide to the census bureau is protected by law. And if anyone shares it, the violator is subject to imprisonment.”

“The subcommittee will continue to work to make sure that resources are targeted to the hardest to enumerate areas, including Asians, Latinos, African Americans and emerging markets. We will continue to monitor the recruitment, hiring and training process to ensure that those communities that are hardest to count have enumerators from within their own communities. We will hold regular oversight hearings to examine every aspect of the 2010 census to make sure the bureau stays on track and is working with its partners to reduce the undercount. Finally, we will closely monitor the selection and appointment of the next census director.”

11:29 a.m.: Handheld Computer Demonstration: The Eye just got a demonstration of the handheld computers that address canvassers will use to verify each address nationwide. We’ll try posting video of the demonstration later.

10:54 a.m.: Partner With Us: Here’s a link to “Partner With Us,” the online home for the bureau’s partners. It includes all the tools any group would need to help the bureau get the word out and boost participation.

10:24 a.m.: Media Partners: Representatives from BET, World Journal (North America’s largest Asian publication) and Univision, Telemundo and Azteca America have presented or hinted at their plans to talk up the Census among their niche audiences. Telemundo President Donald Browne showed the audience his network’s “Hazte Contar” campaign, while Azteca’s Armando Guzman showed off his network’s “Porque tu vales – dejates contar” campaign — both designed to increase trust and participation in the Census. Nielsen’s Don Lowery reminded the crowd of the Census’ big impact on corporate America: “Without the Census, there is no Nielsen. It’s vitally important to us,” he said, since Nielsen ratings data is based on Census data about American households.

9:40 a.m.: Who’s in Attendance?: Representatives from media companies including BET, Univision, National Newspaper Publishers Association, the Nielsen Company and Fundacion Azteca America that will help spread the word through public service announcements and other efforts; representatives from national organizations including Goodwill Industries, Asian American Justice Center, National Congress of American Indians, Voto Latino and NAACP, who will also spread the word among their members.

9:35 a.m.: Address Canvassing Starts Next Week: Census Associate Director Arnold Jackson reminds the crowd that next week “We will begin to deploy 140,000 field workers to conduct address canvassing,” meaning the bureau “will utilize the 150 offices we’ve opened and the millions of dollars of technology and infrastructure we have bought and tested all rolls out.”

Jackson tells the crowd that “We have one year to convince populations that may approach 18 to 20 percent who are cynical about the Census that this is a good thing to do. That’s where you come in. I’m sure that you know better than I that there are respondents who are easy to count. There are others who just need a little awareness. However it’s the 18 to 20 percent who probably don’t want to participate that we will only reach with your assistance.”

The bureau will publish census guides in 59 languages. Bilingual questionnaires (English and Spanish) will be mailed to 13 million households.

“A superb census will come about only if we get to those who today, don’t plan to participate,” Jackson said.

9:20 a.m.: Gary Locke’s First Public Appearance: The commerce secretary made his first appearance as commerce secretary here this morning, saying he arrived in Washington from Seattle at 3 a.m.

“Instead of going to the Department of Commerce this morning, I came here,” he said to applause. “This is my very first stop in my official duty as secretary of commerce.”

“We’re going to make sure that the Census Bureau has the independent leadership it deserves and the professional oversight that Americans demand,” Locke told the crowd at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel.

Locke stressed that the bureau depends on volunteer organizations, including the various corporations and civil rights groups gathered today to learn more about next year’s plans.

“Any information collected by the Census Bureau is absolutely confidential,” he reminded attendees. “Please let people know that the 2010 Census is very simple. 2010: ten questions, ten minutes. Completing the census form will be very very easy. For every Census form returned in the mail, it will save the federal government more money down the road.”

For once, when we’re talking about “seasonal” guests, we’re not referring to undocumented immigrants. At the other end of the spectrum, today we’re descussing the elite an the hyper-elite. An article from today’s Martha’s Vineyard Gazette explains how the 2010 Census results may affect this playground for the rich and famous, many of whom spend time at their second/third/fourth/fifth homes on the island:

As a team of surveyors prepares to prep the Vineyard for the 2010 U.S. census, the dismal economy is adding bite to questions about accurately counting the transient Island population — since census numbers translate into government spending numbers.

The census provides a population snapshot of one day in April. It’s also a federal spending tool which the census bureau says accounts for some $300 billion in federal spending. Using census numbers, the government allocates spending for schools, roads, bridges, hospitals and other essential services.

Yet the bureau has acknowledged that several million ethnic minorities went uncounted in the 2000 census. Another potential for inaccuracy pertains to resort communities: the bureau announced an overcount of 1.3 million people, due primarily to duplicate counts of whites with second homes.

Then there is the overarching problem that an April survey cannot factor in the huge population bump the Island experiences each summer.

“We’re getting money as if we’re 15,000 but in summer we’re 75,000,” Martha’s Vineyard Commission affordable housing and economic development planner Christine Flynn told the Gazette last year.

Ten Vineyard census employees will spend April updating address lists and performing a count of Island dwellings. Using this information, surveys will be sent out to be completed on April 1, 2010.

Mark Forrest, chief of staff for congressman William D. Delahunt, said yesterday that the seasonal population shift is at the root of a never-ending funding battle.

“We have a tax burden for the infrastructure which falls disproportionately on a smaller, less affluent year-round population. We have the burden of supporting a large, fluctuating population,” he said, “and we’re constantly fighting the perception that the Cape and Islands is the land of the rich.”

Mr. Forrest predicts the predicament will be reflected in the apportioning of the recent federal stimulus package.

“I think we’re geared up for getting more than we’ll end up getting,” he said. “We often feel unfairly singled out to get hit at the schools level and for clean water needs and roads and bridges. There’s a perception [among Cape and Islanders] that we’re not getting our fair share, and that’s a perception [the congressman] shares.”

There is $250 million in federal stimulus money marked for census outreach, to help make more accurate counts of displaced residents and illegal immigrants. Mr. Forrest said it was unlikely that any of this funding will be directed at the Vineyard.

The Counting Crows have a classic song called Raining in Baltimore,  but today, it’s raining 2010 Census talk in Baltimore:

As the first phase of America’s largest peacetime mobilization effort (that’s what the Bureau calls it, even though we’re at war in Iraq), gets underway, thousands of Census Bureau enumerators have started making door to door checks to verify addresses. However, one wonders: Who are these Census Bureau employees given this great responsibility of using handheld computers to determine what is a residence and what is not a residence?

As you will learn in a 10 Part MyTwoCensus Editorial Series called 10 PROBLEMS WITH 2010 CENSUS HIRING PRACTICES that begins below (1 problem will be addressed every day for the next two weeks), the Census Bureau is not hiring the best and brightest to work for them.

In the midst of the financial crisis, the U.S. Census Bureau has squandered its opportunity to hire a plethora of well-qualified and even over-qualified individuals who applied to work for the 2010 Census. The reasons for this error: antiquated and inefficient hiring practices.

In the past, it has been a struggle to find qualified applicants for census jobs. But with the economy in shambles, the opposite is true today. The following document explains why the 2010 Census hiring process has resulted in discrimination against many individuals who should have been hired to work for the 2010 Census.

Problem 1: The Census Bureau uses three main factors, all imported into a computer database, to determine which applicants it will hire: Test scores, address, and language skills.

Such information as education, supervisory experience, job history, and references are not initially considered in the hiring process but should be. Though applicants provide some of this information in their applications, it has no bearing on the computer database that rates prospective applicants.