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« Legislative News Census 2010 Count Review Program Aims to Improve Data Accuracy
By Bruce Barr
TAC Geographic Information Systems Analyst
In late 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law (PL) 94-171 requiring the U.S. Census Bureau to provide to the states the data necessary to conform to the mandates of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The basis of PL 94-171 is the belief that data collection is actually mandated by the U.S. Constitution to ensure equal representation in our state legislatures and Congress and the only way to ensure the “one person, one vote” provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Information mandated for Census Bureau collection and reporting to the states includes age and racial demographics, as well as human count and boundary geography.
These boundaries and counts are the backbone of political redistricting and grant and funding distribution programs. Since 1980, the first decennial census conducted after PL 94-171, a number of steps have been enacted to allow states and local governments to review the data provided by the census before the final data is published. For the 2010 Census, the programs in place for local government review include the annual Boundary and Annexation Survey sent to all legally defined geographic areas; the Local Update of Census Addresses Program, which is undergoing its appeal process this fall/winter; and the Boundary Validation Program, which will be starting up early summer 2010.
For Texas, the State Data Center (SDC), located at the University of Texas at San Antonio campus, is actively involved in the 2010 Count Review Program. The SDC is verifying the residential addresses that will receive a census form next March and April. Using 9-1-1 addressing and appraisal district parcel data, the SDC is comparing address locations for single and multifamily housing provided by the Census Bureau to locally supplied addresses.
While performing a review of all 254 counties would be optimal, the SDC is targeting 54 counties based on population growth, border contact and past history of reported count errors. By conducting a preliminary review of count statistics before their official release, the SDC hopes to correct previous undercounts and help keep resources in Texas. According to Karl Eschbach, Texas State Demographer, removing inaccuracies in this year’s count is key to ensuring the state receives the funding it deserves.
“A complete count of the Texas population during this census is vital to all Texans, to insure our state and its cities and counties receive a fair share of political representation and allocation of program dollars distributed through census-based allocation formulas,” Eschbach said. “It has been estimated that more than $400 billion of federal and state program spending is allocated every year through funding formulas based in part on the count of population from the decennial census.”
The November deadline for the SDC’s 2010 Count Review Program is approaching. If you would like to find out how your county can provide data to the SDC, contact the Office of the State Demographer at (512) 463-7659. Visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s Boundary Validation Program to find out more about the for summer 2010.
For more information about this article, contact TAC Geographic Information Systems Analyst Bruce Barr at (512) 478-8753.
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