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S. HRG. 115–210 

MAKING INDIAN COUNTRY COUNT: NATIVE 

AMERICANS AND THE 2020 CENSUS 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

FEBRUARY 14, 2018 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Indian Affairs 

( 

(II) 

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 

JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota, Chairman 

TOM UDALL, New Mexico, Vice Chairman 

JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska 

JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma 

STEVE DAINES, Montana 

MIKE CRAPO, Idaho 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas 

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

JON TESTER, Montana, 

BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii 

HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota 

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada 

TINA SMITH, Minnesota 

T. MICHAEL ANDREWS, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

JENNIFER ROMERO, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Hearing held on February 14, 2018 ....................................................................... 1 

Statement of Senator Cortez Masto ....................................................................... 59 

Statement of Senator Heitkamp ............................................................................. 3 

Statement of Senator Hoeven ................................................................................. 1 

Statement of Senator Murkowski ........................................................................... 4 

Statement of Senator Smith ................................................................................... 58 

Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 2 

WITNESSES

Gore, Carol, President/CEO, Cook Inlet Housing Authority ................................ 9 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 11 

Jarmin, Ron S., Associate Director for Economic Programs, Performing the 

Non-Exclusive Functions and Duties of the Director, U.S. Census Bureau ... 5 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 6 

Keel, Hon. Jefferson, President, National Congress of American Indians .......... 18 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 19 

Tucker, James T., Pro Bono Voting Rights Counsel, Native American Rights 

Fund ...................................................................................................................... 25 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 28 

APPENDIX

Baker, Hon. Bill John, Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation, prepared statement 65 

(1) 

MAKING INDIAN COUNTRY COUNT: NATIVE 

AMERICANS AND THE 2020 CENSUS 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, 

Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:59 p.m. in room 

628, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John Hoeven, 

Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HOEVEN, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA 

The CHAIRMAN. I also have to say, in regard to the business 

meeting, that I ask unanimous consent that staff be allowed to 

make technical and conforming changes, which we can do as long 

as the Vice Chairman agrees that we allow them to do it. 

Senator UDALL. No objection. 

The CHAIRMAN. All right. Thank you, Vice Chairman Udall. 

We will proceed now with our hearing, and I want to thank all 

of the witnesses for being with us today. 

Good afternoon. I call this oversight hearing to order. Today the 

Committee will hold an oversight hearing on the upcoming 2020 

Census. 

Our Constitution requires that our Nation’s population be accurately counted every 10 years. However, in Indian Country, getting 

an accurate population count can be a difficult task. Many tribal 

communities are located in geographically isolated areas. Among 

other challenges, simply accessing these communities can inhibit 

an accurate census count. 

Although it may be difficult to collect census data, it is critical 

for our Nation. Census results are used to draw district lines for 

the U.S. House of Representatives, State legislatures, and local 

governments. They determine the distribution of $600 billion in annual Federal assistance to States, localities, and to Tribes. They 

also direct community decisions affecting schools, housing, transportation, and healthcare services. All of these functions are dependent on an accurate census. 

To ensure an accurate count in Indian Country, the Census Bureau must continue to engage in meaningful outreach with tribal 

communities to find innovative solutions. In 2015 and 2016, the 

Census Bureau held a series of consultation sessions with tribal 

communities. The Bureau issued a final report on these consultaVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 029840 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\DOCS\29840.TXT JACK
2 

tion sessions, which includes recommendations on how to accurately count American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

In my home State of North Dakota, there are roughly 32,000 Native Americans and, because of the strong presence of Native Americans in my State, one of the Bureau’s consultation sessions was 

conducted in Fort Yates, North Dakota. I look forward to hearing 

about the Bureau’s progress in addressing recommendations from 

Tribes in North Dakota and across the Country, as well as how the 

Administration, Tribes, and other stakeholders can work together 

to conduct an accurate count of the Native American community in 

the upcoming 2020 Census. 

With that, I want to welcome our witnesses. Thank you for being 

here, and I look forward to your testimony. 

Before we hear from the witnesses, I want to turn to Vice Chairman Udall for his opening statement. 

STATEMENT OF HON. TOM UDALL, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO 

Senator UDALL. Thank you, Chairman Hoeven, for holding this 

important oversight hearing on the census. With 2020 around the 

corner and preparations already underway, it is very timely to be 

doing so. 

And thank you to the witnesses today for coming out to shed 

light on a topic that will impact Indian Country for years to come. 

Administering the census is a task so fundamental to how our 

government operates that our Nation’s founders included it in the 

Constitution. With far-reaching consequences, our founders’ decision was for a good reason. Valid and accurate census data is the 

bedrock of fair, proportionate representation in our democracy. The 

census’s detailed demographic data is used to implement the Voting Rights Act. An inaccurate census risks underrepresentation for 

tribal communities, and an undercount can lead to skewed State, 

local, and Federal voting districts that diminish the voices of those 

communities. 

The census has a big impact on Indian Country when it comes 

to voting, one or our most essential civil rights. Basic obligations 

like language assistance at the polls and voter registration in tribal 

communities’ own language can be influenced by an undercount, 

and Federal agencies rely on the census and American community 

survey data when enforcing civil rights laws. 

The results of the census have a ripple effect beyond just the government. Businesses look at these population estimates when looking to expand, and they influence how communities, including 

Tribes, plan for schools and hospitals. That makes it all the more 

important that we get the census right. Unfortunately, the Bureau 

certainly hasn’t in the past. In 1990, the census undercounted the 

American Indian population on reservations by 12 percent; then 

undercounted that population again in 2010 by 5 percent. 

I am concerned that funding shortfalls leading to the cancellation 

of important field tests are only further straining the Bureau’s ability to carry out this constitutionally-mandated duty. This has very 

real consequences for Indian Country; census data determines how 

the government will distribute more than $600 billion this year, 

3 

and more than $6 trillion over the next 10 years, by some estimates. 

Putting those numbers in context, in New Mexico, the Federal 

Government spends about $3,000 per person on everything from 

how the government distributes Medicaid dollars and SNAP funds 

to tribal transportation and housing. That means for every person 

the census misses, thousands of dollars are lost. In a budget environment where Indian Country is already underfunded, we can’t 

afford to let these dollars leave Indian Country. 

I am glad, Mr. Chairman, that we are holding this hearing to 

make sure the Bureau gets the census right this time around. 

With that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about 

the outlook for this year, with the eye towards 2020. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Vice Chairman Udall. 

Now we will hear from our witnesses. They are Mr. Ron S. Jarmin, Associate Director for Economic Programs, and Performing 

the Non-Exclusive Functions and Duties of the Director of the U.S. 

Census Bureau here in Washington, D.C.; Ms. Carol Gore, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cook Inlet Housing, Anchorage, 

Alaska; the Honorable Jefferson Keel, President, National Congress 

of American Indians; Mr. James T. Tucker, Pro Bono Voting Rights 

Counsel, Native American Rights Fund, Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Also, before we proceed with the witnesses, I understand, Senator Heitkamp, you would like to make some opening remarks? 

STATEMENT OF HON. HEIDI HEITKAMP, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA 

Senator HEITKAMP. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to mention 

the work that is being done in our other committee, Homeland Security and Government Affairs. 

So, Mr. Jarmin, it is good to see you. This is an issue that is near 

and dear to my heart because it is so critically important that we 

get these counts right. And as I told Secretary Ross in October that 

there should be a series of hearings concerning the Census Bureau 

and the plan for the 2020, not just on this unique population. 

Also, HSGAC is waiting to hear back from the secretary regarding his response to the Committee’s questions for the record from 

our October hearing. October was a long time ago, I might remind 

you. If you could pass that along, it would be greatly appreciated. 

Simply put, the 2020 Census I think, quite frankly, never mind 

this issue, is in trouble. Cancelled tests, increasing costs projections, and no Senate-confirmed director are all signs that the operation is teetering. We can get this back on track, but we are running out of time, so there is some urgency that I feel about this 

issue. So I am pleased and grateful that the Chairman and the 

Vice Chairman are taking a closer look at the challenges of enumerating folks in Indian Country. 

Indian Reservations provide a unique challenge for the Census 

Bureau, such as historic distrust of the Federal Government, so 

when you knock on the door, they don’t always answer and they 

don’t always tell you who is there; a lower likelihood of deliverable 

mail, another issue that we are trying to solve; and sparse population centers. For too long we have given Indian Country the leftVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 029840 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\DOCS\29840.TXT JACK
4 

overs. Members of these communities, our first Americans, deserve 

to be counted as Americans. 

So I want answers to the questions about the status of the entire 

census and where we are and how we are going to get there. But 

this is an issue that we have the ability to do some tests. Standing 

Rock Sioux Nation was one of those test areas. That didn’t happen 

because of budget cuts. So, it is critically important in our oversight role on this Committee and also on Homeland Security and 

Government Affairs that we get answers today, because the longer 

this goes, the deeper the well will be that we will have to climb 

out of, and the less likely we will be able to take corrections. 

So thank you, Mr. Jarmin, for coming, and thanks to all the witnesses. 

And, again, my great appreciation for this opportunity to speak, 

but also, Mr. Chairman, for your attention to this very, very important issue. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Heitkamp. 

STATEMENT OF HON. LISA MURKOWSKI, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA 

Senator MURKOWSKI. Very briefly, Mr. Chairman. I want to 

thank you for this very important hearing. I think we all recognize 

that getting a complete census and accurate count is truly important. We recognize that this is an economic tool, and, when you 

undercount, then there are consequences that kind of ripple 

throughout, so making sure that we get it right and get it right the 

first time is important. As Senator Heitkamp has noted, there are 

challenges as we try to get an accurate count within Indian Country. 

We have geography challenges in Alaska; access is tough, and 

making sure that we are not able only to gain physical access but, 

again, the mail service that Senator Heitkamp has mentioned, we 

have complex organizational and government structure with the 

Tribes, the tribal organizations, regional corporations, the village 

corporations, the bureaus and cities, it makes it perhaps even more 

complicated. But we have some good folks working together. We 

have Foraker Group, who has been working with us to get a good 

count. We have the Alaska Census Working Group, consisting of a 

lot of good strong leaders that are helping us particularly in our 

very, very rural areas. 

But I want to welcome and thank the Committee for inviting 

Carol Gore, who has worked very, very hard on this issue. I have 

known her for a long time. As you mentioned, she is President of 

Cook Inlet Housing. She also serves as the Vice Chair of the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee. We have worked with 

her on a number of issues. She is no stranger to the Committee, 

but I really appreciate her perspective and the value that she 

brings to the Committee, and I welcome her back to Washington. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Jarmin. 

5 

STATEMENT OF RON S. JARMIN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR 

ECONOMIC PROGRAMS, PERFORMING THE NON–EXCLUSIVE 

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS 

BUREAU 

Mr. JARMIN. Good afternoon, Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman 

Udall, and members of the Committee. I welcome the opportunity 

to speak with you today about the Census Bureau’s work to ensure 

a high-quality enumeration of American Indian and Alaska Native 

communities in the upcoming 2020 Census. I am excited to discuss 

our ongoing government-to-government relationships with our tribal partners and our collaborative efforts to plan a census that will 

count everyone, both on and off tribal lands, once, only once, and 

in the right place. 

To help us prepare for the census, we have received vital insights 

and advice from the American Indian and Alaska Native community. We held a series of invaluable consultations with tribal leaders across the Nation; we meet monthly with tribal representatives; 

and we have continued our ongoing engagements with the Census 

Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on racial, ethnic, and other 

populations. 

The Advisory Committee has included several distinguished representatives of the Nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native 

communities, including my fellow witnesses and trusted Census 

Bureau partners. We continue to implement and expand these critical partnerships. 

Since 2015, we have traveled throughout the Country to meet 

with delegates representing over 250 Tribes and tribal corporations 

and organizations. I want to recognize a couple of the folks that 

have been key to that. I have Dee Alexander and Jamie Christy behind me, who, along with dozens of other staff from our headquarters and field organizations, have been tireless in their efforts 

to improve the count on Indian land. 

In these consultations, we have heard a common concern that the 

Internet response is not a viable option in remote areas. To address 

this issue, we have used information from the American Community Survey and from the Federal Communications Commission to 

identify areas with low connectivity. We plan to mail or hand-deliver questionnaires to households in these areas, as well as provide the opportunity to respond via the telephone. 

Tribal representatives have also expressed a strong interest in effective communications with Census Bureau field staff. We are 

committed to ensuring that the Census Bureau provides clear guidance and training, recognizing the unique preferences and challenges amongst these diverse tribal communities. Importantly, we 

will work together to recruit and hire members of American Indian 

and Alaska Native communities to manage and conduct field operations to encourage response. 

The National Congress of American Indians voiced serious concerns regarding a proposal to include a tribal enrollment question 

on the 2020 Census due to concerns about privacy and tribal sovereignty. With their feedback, the Census Bureau has decided not 

to proceed with the tribal enrollment question. To date, more than 

50 Tribes and related associations have already appointed a 2020 

Census tribal liaison to work with our regional partnership staff, 

6 

and we look forward to working with them to develop effective census promotional and outreach materials. 

The Census Bureau is planning a robust, integrated partnership 

in communications campaign. An important component of this will 

be customized marketing and communications strategies and materials for use by our tribal partners. Assisting us in this task will 

be G&G Advertising, a nationally recognized leader in tailored outreach to American Indian and Alaska Native audiences, and a veteran of two previous decennial census advertising campaigns. 

We continue to work with tribal governments to confirm and update legal geographic boundaries and address lists, and we receive 

updated information from them every year as part of the Boundary 

and Annexation Survey. While nearly half of tribal governments 

participated in 2017, we hope to improve participation in 2018 by 

increasing our follow-up with those who haven’t yet responded. 

So far, more than 130 tribal governments have registered to review and update the Census Bureau’s address lists and maps as 

part of the Local Update of Census Addresses Program, or LUCA, 

and we are on track to kick off the enumeration in Alaska on January 20th of 2020. We begin enumeration earlier in these remote 

areas to facilitate access to the approximately 240 remote villages 

and communities before the spring breakup. 

The 2020 Census is a complex organization of people and systems that need to work together to ensure that we are able to 

count every person living in the Country. The Census Bureau relies 

on its invaluable partnership with the American Indian and Alaska 

Native communities to help guide us in our task. 

I look forward to continued partnership with you and our tribal 

partners as we approach 2020. Thank you for the opportunity to be 

here today, and I look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Jarmin follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF RON S. JARMIN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR ECONOMIC

PROGRAMS, PERFORMING THE NON-EXCLUSIVE FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF THE

DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Good morning Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, and Members of the Committee. I welcome the opportunity to talk with you today about the Census Bureau’s 

work to ensure a high quality enumeration of the American Indian and Alaska Native communities in the 2020 Census. I am excited to have the opportunity to discuss our ongoing government-to-government relationships with American Indian 

and Alaska Native tribes. We have worked together to plan a 2020 Census that will 

count everyone on tribal lands once, only once, and in the right place. 

While the Census Bureau is planning the most automated, and modern, decennial 

census in history, we have not disregarded, and in fact recognize more than ever, 

the unique challenges associated with conducting the decennial census in American 

Indian and Alaska Native areas. We share the concerns that tribal delegates have 

raised about the undercount of American Indians and Alaska Natives in previous 

counts, and are committed to improving this in the 2020 Census. 

The 2018 End-to-End Census Test, which is our last opportunity to validate our 

design and readiness for the 2020 Census, is now underway and field operations will 

continue through the summer. Following the test, we will finalize plans for all operations and make any necessary adjustments to ensure readiness for the 2020 Census enumeration, which will kick off in remote Alaskan villages on January 20, 

2020. 

Tribal Engagement 

To help us prepare for the 2020 Census, we have continued to build and implement our tribal partnership and we have received vital insights and advice from our 

tribal partners. We held a series of invaluable consultations with tribal leaders from 

7 

across the nation, we meet monthly with tribal representatives, and we have continued our ongoing engagements with the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations (NAC). The NAC has included several distinguished representatives of the Nation’s tribal communities, including my 

fellow witnesses and trusted Census Bureau partners. 

For the 2020 Census, we began consultations with tribal representatives in 2015, 

two years earlier in the census lifecycle than in prior censuses. The Census Bureau 

held 17 tribal consultations and one national webinar with federally- and state-recognized tribes and Alaska regional and village corporations. We met with over 400 

tribal delegates representing over 250 different tribes, corporations, and organizations. 

What We Have Heard. . . 

On Enumeration—The Census Bureau informed the tribes that the 2020 Census 

would have four response options: Internet, telephone, paper, and enumerator. Some 

tribes reported that Internet response is currently not a viable option for many tribal citizens and requested an in-person enumerator. The Census Bureau is aware 

Internet access is an issue in rural areas and therefore plans to include a paper 

questionnaire in the first 2020 Census mailing to households in these areas. As well, 

the Census Bureau will provide all households—regardless how remote or urban— 

the option of respond via telephone. 

On Partnerships—Tribal delegates shared with us their interest in effective communication between their tribal representatives and the staff working on the 2020 

Census in the field. Their focus was on ensuring the Census Bureau provides clear 

guidance and training to the Census Bureau field offices such as recognizing the 

unique preferences and challenges among the diverse tribal communities to ensure 

the most effective engagement with each tribe. 

On Population Statistics—The Census Bureau discussed with tribes how the 

American Indian and Alaska Native responses from the race question were coded, 

classified, and tabulated under each federally recognized, state-recognized or nonrecognized tribe names. A tribal classification code list was presented to the tribes 

for review and input for any name changes or additions. While this list was presented to tribal leadership during the consultations, the Census Bureau will continue the government-to-government relationship by formally soliciting feedback on 

the coding and classification of their tribal responses. The formal letter, along with 

the coding list, will be sent to tribal leadership in spring of 2018. 

On Tribal Enrollment—A large majority of the tribes were not in favor of a tribal 

enrollment question. Tribes expressed that the self-response option will not allow 

us to collect accurate data, given the differences and complexity of tribal enrollment 

across American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Tribal enrollment is private 

information, and the inquiry would infringe upon tribal sovereignty. Tribes also expressed that the Federal Government does not need to collect tribal enrollment data. 

This valuable input is a good example of how our tribal engagements are successful. Based on these types of consultations, the Census Bureau made the decision not 

to include a tribal enrollment question on the 2020 Census or on the American Community Survey. 

Actions Underway for the 2020 Census 

I would like to now share the concrete plans we have underway, and how each 

has been tailored to maximize our ability to count the American Indian and Alaska 

Native communities. 

Continuing with our Partnerships 

The Census Bureau has had an American Indian and Alaska Native Partnership 

Program since 2000, and we continue to meet with our regional tribal partnership 

staff each month to share the most current information about Census Bureau processes as well as to elicit information on best practices from tribal partners. This program has been instrumental in spearheading programs such as the Tribal Complete 

Count Committees, which have documented successful census outreach efforts on 

tribal lands. To date, more than 50 tribes and representative tribal associations 

have appointed a 2020 Census Tribal Liaison to work with our regional tribal partnership staff to prepare for the census. These tribal liaisons will help the Census 

Bureau in many ways—from developing effective census materials, to finding efficient ways to recruit and hire tribal citizens to manage and conduct field operations, 

to encouraging tribal response to ensure the most accurate counts. 

Creating an Effective Communication Plan 

The Census Bureau is planning a robust Integrated Partnership and Communications program—a critical component of the effort to reach and motivate individuals 

8 

in all areas of the country. Our National Partnership Program will be ramping up 

beginning in October 2018, and we plan to increase the number of partnership specialists who form these critical relationships in communities across the country from 

fewer than 800 in the 2010 Census to 1,000 specialists for the 2020 Census. 

Leveraging highly localized outreach campaigns, we plan to develop customized 

marketing and communications materials that can be downloaded and printed for 

use by our American Indian and Alaska Native partners. We will be assisted in this 

task by g&g Advertising, a nationally recognized leader in tailored outreach to 

American Indians and Native Alaskan audiences and a veteran of two previous decennial census advertising programs. Together, we will be working with our tribal 

community partners to develop effective outreach materials. 

Ensuring Up-to-Date Geographic Information 

The Census Bureau has long engaged tribal governments to ensure the accuracy 

of tribal addresses, streets, and boundaries. This work is critical for the accurate 

collection, tabulation, and dissemination of census data. 

In 2014, the Census Bureau and the National American Indian Housing Council 

(NAIHC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a joint statistical 

project. Then in 2016, the Census Bureau and Bureau of Indian Affairs signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding to improve the dissemination of accurate data, in 

furtherance of the government-to-government relationship between the United 

States and Indian tribes. This Memorandum of Understanding facilitates the sharing of geographic information and databases. 

Each year, the Census Bureau conducts the Boundary and Annexation Survey 

(BAS). The BAS is the only survey to collect legal boundaries from federal recognized tribes, local, county and state governments ensuring that their legal boundaries are current and accurate. Consequently, the official population counts within 

those boundaries are correctly recorded with the Federal Government. Every year, 

tribal governments use the BAS to update their federal reservation and off-reservation trust land boundaries. In the most recent 2017 BAS, we received responses 

from 47.0 percent of tribal governments, up slightly from 44.5 percent and 42.5 percent in 2016 and 2015, respectively. In 2018, we will be adding staff to conduct nonresponse follow-up which we hope will further increase these response rates. 

Before every census, we offer representatives from tribal, state, and local governments the opportunity to participate in the Local Update of Census Addresses program. Through this program, governments are able to review and comment on the 

Census Bureau’s residential address list for their jurisdiction. This program is critical for the Census Bureau as we rely on a complete and accurate address list to 

reach all living quarters and associated population for inclusion in the census. To 

date, more than 130 tribal governments have registered to review and update the 

Census Bureau’s address list and maps as part of the Local Update of Census Addresses in preparation for the 2020 Census. 

Developing Adaptive Modes for Self Response 

For the first time, the 2020 Census will provide residents multiple modes for responding to the census in order to maximize self-response. So, while one option will 

be the Internet, individuals also have the option to respond by telephone through 

our Census Questionnaire Assistance call centers or through paper questionnaire 

(which will be mailed as a final attempt before sending enumerators into neighborhoods). In areas where American Community Survey and Federal Communications 

Commission data show low Internet access, we will be including a paper questionnaire in the first Census 2020 mailing. In some areas where postal mail might not 

be an effective option for reaching the population, we will be delivering the questionnaire to households personally. At the same time, we will collect any address information we can to facilitate future options for communication with the household. 

After giving the population an opportunity to self-respond, we will send enumerators to visit every non-responding household in every location throughout the country (with the exception of remote areas of Alaska where there will already be a full 

in-person enumeration, as described next). If the enumerator is unsuccessful at 

making contact with a member of the household after numerous visits, they will attempt to interview a nearby neighbor who could provide proxy information about the 

household. The intent is to obtain, at a minimum, an accurate population count for 

each non-responding household during this operation. 

Enumerating Remote Areas of Alaska 

Alaska’s vast, sparsely settled areas traditionally are the first to be counted starting in January of the census year. Local census takers must start enumerating in 

the approximately 240 remote villages and communities while the frozen ground allows limited access. Many residents leave after the spring thaw to fish and hunt 

9 

or for other warm-weather jobs, making it difficult to get an accurate count on April 

1 ‘‘Census Day.’’ 

Remote Alaska enumeration has unique challenges associated with accessibility to 

communities in Alaska’s most isolated areas, where population ranges from a few 

people to several hundred people. Communities are widely scattered and rarely 

linked by roads. For these communities, we must rely on unique modes of transportation including small planes, snowmobiles, and dogsleds. Because of the logistical 

challenges, we combine operations for address canvassing and enumeration into one 

operation called Update Enumerate. During this operation, field staff will update 

the address lists and maps for the villages and communities, and then conduct an 

in-person interview at all living quarters to complete the census questionnaire. This 

will be done at all housing units, group quarters, and transitory locations. We will 

work with our local partners to be sure all living quarters are enumerated. Outreach to begin preparing for these operations will begin next year in 2019. 

Learning through Field Tests 

The 2018 End-to-End Census Test began in August 2017 in Pierce County, Washington; Providence County, Rhode Island; and the Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill, West 

Virginia area with the implementation of an address canvassing operation. The infield portion of the test will continue through August 2018 in Providence County, 

Rhode Island with the implementation of ‘‘peak operations’’ that include Internet 

self-response and non-response follow-up. In the address canvassing portions of the 

test, we had the opportunity to test all of our applications and systems and hone 

the address list development operations in a wide range of geographical situations, 

including mountainous areas and areas with low connectivity (Internet and cellular). The lessons we learned from this portion of the test will be particularly useful as we start to prepare for listing in the more remote and rural portions of the 

country. As the peak operations portion of the 2018 End-to-End Census Test begin 

in the spring, we look forward to understanding how our enumeration applications 

and systems function in areas with low connectivity in preparation for the challenges we will surely face when conducting the 2020 Census. 

Conclusion 

The 2020 Census is a complex organization of people and systems that work together to ensure that we are able to count every person living in the U.S. The Census Bureau relies on its invaluable partnership with the American Indian and Alaska Native communities to help guide us in our task. Through this partnership, we 

have received valuable advice we believe has made the 2020 Census stronger than 

ever before in its ability to connect with and represent the American Indian and 

Alaska Native communities. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Jarmin. 

Ms. GORE. 

STATEMENT OF CAROL GORE, PRESIDENT/CEO, COOK INLET 

HOUSING AUTHORITY 

Ms. GORE. Thank you. [Phrase in Native language.] Good afternoon, Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, Alaska Senator 

Murkowski, and distinguished members of the Senate Committee 

on Indian Affairs. Thank you for the opportunity to appear today. 

My name is Carol Gore. I am a proud Alaskan of Aleut descent 

and I have been with Cook Inlet Housing for more than 17 years 

as the President and CEO. Cook Inlet Housing is a tribally-designated housing entity for Cook Inlet region in Alaska. I have also 

served as the Vice Chair of the Census Bureau’s National Advisory 

Committee since 2014. 

The Census Bureau’s work impacts Tribes in many ways. It promotes our fair and equal participation in American democracy, provides equal data for research and planning purposes, enables the 

enforcement of Federal nondiscrimination laws, and draws fair allocations of funding for the Federal programs that are vital to Native communities, including housing, health care, and education. 

10 

For decades, Native communities have been undercounted. This 

is largely because so many Native people live in what the Census 

Bureau calls hard-to-count communities, which are characterized 

by their cultural and language barriers, high levels of poverty, unemployment, housing insecurity, lack of telephone and internet access, and remoteness. Collectively, the States represented by the 

members of this Committee are home to over 900,000 Native people 

living in hard-to-count communities. 

Accurately counting these Native people requires additional resources. Unfortunately, appropriators have restricted the Census 

Bureau’s funding in recent years, directing that the 2020 Census 

should cost no more than the 2010 Census did. This mandate ignores declining purchasing power due to inflation, the need to 

count 30 million more Americans, and the increasing complexity of 

ensuring data security and confidentiality. 

Funding shortfalls have already harmed Indian Country. The 

Bureau planned to test immigration procedures on the Standing 

Rock and Colville Reservations in 2017. Those tests were cancelled 

due to a lack of funding. Without testing, the Bureau will be forced 

to use unproven methods in Indian Country in 2020. 

Insufficient funding has also damaged the Bureau’s ability to engage with Tribes through its partnership program which conducts 

targeted outreach to Native and non-Native communities throughout the U.S. In 2010, the Bureau employed 3,800 partnership staff 

during peak operations. Shockingly, the Bureau has so far been 

able to hire just 43 partnership specialists. 

Back home in Alaska, a single partnership specialist conducts all 

the Bureau’s outreach to the 229 Tribes in our State. She is also 

responsible for the Bureau’s outreach to every municipality, city, 

bureau, and other unit of local government across our State. As if 

that charge were not absurd enough, our partnership specialist 

does not just cover Alaska; she is also responsible for a four-State 

region. This is clearly an impossible task. 

To ensure that the 2020 Census does not undercount Native persons, appropriators must fund the Census Bureau at a reasonable 

level. By investing in the Bureau’s testing efforts, partnership program, and communications campaign, Congress can ensure a more 

accurate count in Indian Country and save taxpayers money by reducing the need for expensive non-response follow-up. 

Census Bureau leadership will also influence the success or failure of the 2020 Census in accurately counting Native people. The 

immediate past director was willing to listen to tribal perspectives 

and carefully reflected upon the information we provided before 

making decisions that affected our people. Currently, the position 

of the census director is vacant. The person chosen to lead the Census Bureau will greatly influence the future of Indian Country, and 

I ask for your help to ensure that the role is filled by a principled, 

bipartisan individual with relevant professional expertise and a 

strong desire to work with Indian Country. 

While the focus of the hearing is the 2020 Decennial Census, I 

am compelled to also stress the importance of the Census Bureau’s 

Annual American Community Survey. The ACS is the best available resource of uniform data in Indian Country across the Nation. 

11 

It remains critical to Indian Country that Congress adequately 

fund the ACS and that ACS response remain mandatory. 

Finally, I would like to recognize the talented, dedicated employees of the Census Bureau for their authentic engagement on tribal 

issues. I have had the pleasure to work with many of them, and 

I am here today to tell you that the incredible people at the Census 

Bureau are not the reason I fear that Native people will be undercounted in 2020. I fear we will be undercounted because there are 

too few of them and because they are not being given the resources 

they need to do their jobs properly. I ask you today to help change 

that. 

Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Gore follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF CAROL GORE, PRESIDENT/CEO, COOK INLET HOUSING

AUTHORITY

Good afternoon Chairman Hoeven, Vice-Chairman Udall, Senator Murkowski, and 

distinguished members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Thank you for 

the opportunity to appear today as the Committee discusses counting all of Indian 

Country in the 2020 Decennial Census. 

My name is Carol Gore. I am a proud Alaskan of Aleut descent. For more than 

seventeen years, I have served as the President and CEO of Cook Inlet Housing Authority, the Tribally Designated Housing Entity for Alaska’s Cook Inlet Region. 

Since 2014, I have also served as the Vice-Chair of the National Advisory Committee of the U.S. Census Bureau. 

As an Alaska Native, a member of the National Advisory Committee, and the 

President of a Native organization that relies heavily upon Census data, I understand firsthand the importance of an accurate Census count in 2020, especially 

when it comes to counting Native populations. My statement today is intended to 

help explain how Census data impacts Indian Country, why it is so difficult to accurately count Native populations, and how Congress and the U.S. Census Bureau can 

ensure an accurate count of all Native people in 2020 and beyond. 

Census Data Matter to Indian Country 

The work done by the Census Bureau impacts tribes in a variety of ways. It promotes their fair representation in our democracy, provides data that are used for 

research and planning purposes, enables government agencies to enforce federal 

nondiscrimination laws, and drives fair and equitable allocations of federal funding. 

The Democratic Process 

Census data determine state and local legislative boundaries and the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The ability of Native people to 

participate equally in our democracy depends upon the fairness of redistricting processes at the federal, state, and local levels. Those processes, in turn, rest on the accuracy of Census Bureau data. When Native peoples are undercounted, they are denied a full voice in policy decisionmaking and the needs of tribal communities may 

not be prioritized according to their true proportion of the population. 

Research and Planning 

Census data are vital for tribal planning purposes. Tribes and tribal organizations 

rely on accurate Census data to make informed decisions for the futures of their 

people, including identifying housing and healthcare needs and determining the 

most appropriate strategies to deploy scarce resources to meet those needs. Tribal 

businesses utilize Census data to make decisions about their workforce and to measure the risk of capital investments. 

Enforcement of Federal Non-Discrimination Laws 

For historically marginalized populations like Alaska Natives and American Indians, Census data also serve the function of ensuring that federal civil rights and 

voting rights laws are properly enforced. Census data are also used to ensure that 

financial institutions comply with federally-imposed obligations to serve minority 

populations, including Native Americans. 

12 

1 ‘‘Table: Children in Title I Schools by Race and Ethnicity.’’ Kids Count Data Center, Retrieved 13 December 2017. 

2 ‘‘Factsheet: Will You Count? American Indians and Alaska Natives in the 2020 Census.’’ 

Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality and the Leadership Conference Education 

Fund, Updated January 15, 2018 (Citing Data from ‘‘Head Start Program Facts Fiscal Year 

2016,’’ Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, June 2017). 

3 ‘‘IHS 2016 Profile.’’ Indian Health Service, April 2017. 

4 ‘‘Trends in Indian Health: 2014 Edition.’’ Indian Health Service, March 2015. 

5 ‘‘Policy Basics: Introduction to Medicaid.’’ Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 16 August 

2016. 6 ‘‘Indian Health and Medicaid.’’ Medicaid, Retrieved 13 December 2017; ‘‘Health Care: Implementing Our Values in the Federal Health Care Budget.’’ National Congress of American Indians, Retrieved 13 December 2017. 7 ‘‘Urban Health Program Fact Sheet.’’ Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, October 2015. 8 ‘‘Table B22005C: Selected Population Profile in the United States: 2015 American Community Survey 1–Year Estimates.’’ U.S. Census Bureau, 2015; ‘‘Receipt of Food Stamps/SNAP in 

the Past 12 Months by Race of Householder (American Indian/Alaska Native Alone)’’. U.S. Census Bureau, Retrieved 13 December 2017. 9 ‘‘PIH Native American Housing Block Grants.’’ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Retrieved 13 December 2017. Available at https://archives.hud.gov/news/2015/ 

pr15-013-14-FY16CJ-NAHBGRANTS.pdf. 

Equitable Allocation of Federal Funding 

Census data play a central role in the determining how federal resources are allocated to tribes and tribal organizations. Following are some of the numerous programs that impact Native communities and are funded, in whole or in part, based 

upon Census data: 

• Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies—Provides financial assistance to 

local educational agencies and schools with high numbers or percentages of lowincome children. About 90 percent of Native students attend Title I public 

schools. 1

• Head Start Program—Provides grants to local agencies to provide child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers develop early reading and math skills. Approximately 10 percent of Native children and pregnant women participated in 

Head Start or Early Head Start during the 2015–16 school year. 2

• Native American Employment and Training—Provides Native peoples with employment training and skills, as well as support for daycare and transportation 

services to enable Native peoples to thrive in the workplace. There were 313 

grant recipients in Native communities in 2013. 

• Indian Health Service—Provides access to comprehensive and culturally acceptable healthcare to Native people, a critical program to fulfill the federal treaty 

and trust obligations to tribal people. IHS serves 2.2 million Native people nationwide 3 and uses Census data for planning and program implementation. 4

• Medicaid—In 2015, 42.8 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives were 

enrolled in Medicaid or some other public insurance program. 5 Medicaid also 

provides critical supplemental revenue for the chronically under-funded IHS. 6

• Urban Indian Health Program—Reaches Native people who are not able to access the hospitals, health care centers, or contract health services managed by 

the IHS and tribal health programs. Approximately 25 percent of Native peoples live in urban areas located in counties served by these programs. 7

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—The most important tool to prevent hunger and malnutrition among families in the U.S. More than one-fourth 

of Native households nationally and 31.8 percent on reservations received SNAP 

benefits in 2015. 8

• Special Programs for the Aging (Title VI, Part A)—Provides grants to Tribal organizations that deliver home and community-based services to Native elders. 

• Indian Housing Block Grant—Funded the construction or rehabilitation of more 

than 5,000 homes in 2015. 9 The Census data used to determine IHBG allocations are also used to allocate funding for the Tribal Transportation Programs 

administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

• Indian Community Development Block Grants—Assists low-to-moderate income 

tribal communities to improve housing conditions, develop community resources, and promote economic development. 

Census data are central to ensuring that tribes receive fair allocations of funding 

for vital federal programs. In fact, when American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) 

13 

10 Brownrigg, Leslie and Manuel de la Puente. ‘‘Sociocultural Behaviors Correlated with Census Undercount.’’ Paper prepared for presentation in Special Session 2 15 to the American Sociological Association, 22 August 2003. 11 US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 5-year Estimates for 2012–2016. 12 ‘‘TABLE 1b: States Ranked by Percent of American Indian/Alaska Natives (race alone or 

in combination) living in Hard-to-Count (HTC) Census Tracts.’’ The Leadership Conference Education Fund, Retrieved 9 February 2018. Available at http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/census/ 

2020/Table1b-States-Percent-AIAN-HTC.pdf. 13 ‘‘TABLE 1b: States Ranked by Percent of American Indian/Alaska Natives (race alone or 

in combination) living in Hard-to-Count (HTC) Census Tracts.’’ The Leadership Conference Education Fund, Retrieved 9 February 2018. Available at http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/census/ 

2020/Table1b-States-Percent-AIAN-HTC.pdf. 

populations are undercounted, states with higher AIAN populations, the very States 

represented by the members of this Committee, receive less than their fair share 

of federal resources. 

The Difficulty of Accurately Counting Native Populations 

Counting the AIAN population accurately, in Alaska and throughout Indian Country, is no simple task. Native communities have been undercounted for decades. 10

The Census Bureau’s coverage measurement evaluation for the 2010 Decennial Census show that an estimated 4.9 percent of the AI/AN on-reservation AIAN population was undercounted. 11 The undercount of the AIAN population was potentially 

higher in parts of my home state, Alaska, where the Census Bureau estimated an 

8 percent undercount of what it calls ‘‘special-enumeration tracts’’—the very places 

with the highest percentage of Alaska Native people. 

2010 Census undercounted American Indian/Alaska Natives by 4.9 percent 

American Indian and Alaska Natives—-4.9 percent 

Black—-2.1 

Hispanic—-1.5 

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander—-1.3 

Asian—-0.1 

Non-Hispanic white—0.8 

The historical undercount of AIAN persons has occurred largely because so many 

Alaska Native and American Indian people live in what the Census Bureau calls 

‘‘hard-to-count’’ geographies. Hard-to-count geographies are characterized by high 

levels of poverty and unemployment, housing insecurity and homelessness, households lacking telephone and Internet access, households with young children, and 

lower than average rates of educational attainment. These tracts require special 

outreach, additional resources, and specific enumeration methods to ensure an accurate count. 

The states represented by members of this committee are home to over 900,000 

American Indians and Alaska Natives living in hard-to-count Census tracts. Nationally, more than 30 percent of the AIAN population lives in hard-to-count areas. 12

In Alaska, this number jumps to over 65 percent, and in New Mexico, nearly four 

out of five of American Indians live in hard-to-count communities. 13

What makes the AIAN population so difficult to count? Geography plays a significant role. American Indians and Alaska Natives disproportionately live in rural environments that are harder for the Census Bureau to reach. This is true in my home 

state of Alaska, where homes in many Alaska Native Villages do not have traditional mailing addresses and where door-to-door counting requires Census enumerators to take small ‘‘bush’’ planes to and from extremely remote areas of the state. 

The manner in which homelessness manifests in Native communities also contributes to the difficulty of obtaining an accurate count. In 2017, the Department of 

Housing and Urban Development released its Assessment of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Housing Needs. HUD recognized that incidents of 

literal homelessness are rare in many Native communities because of a cultural inclination to take in friends and family members who have no other housing options, 

even when the result is extreme overcrowding. HUD found that there are up to 

85,000 homeless Native Americans living in tribal areas. These individuals lack a 

permanent, traditional mailing address and are at significant risk of going uncounted in the Decennial Census. 

In 2020, the Census Bureau will, for the first time, offer people the option to complete the Decennial Census online. States from New Mexico to Montana to North 

Dakota are home to remote Census tracts where less than 60 percent of households 

met the FCC’s minimum threshold of Internet connectivity in 2016. Like disproportionate rates of homelessness, limited Internet connectivity could threaten the Census Bureau’s ability to accurately count Indian Country in 2020, particularly if the 

14 

14 U.S. Senate, Committee on Appropriations, ‘‘Report on Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2015,’’ June 5, 2014, Page 20. 

Bureau lacks the resources necessary to test the efficacy of Internet response in 

communities with sizeable AIAN populations. While we believe it is critical for the 

Bureau to carefully plan and test the use of Internet response in Indian Country, 

we must note, regrettably, that delayed and insufficient funding for the Census Bureau in Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018 forced the Census Bureau to cancel all planned 

tests of census operations in Indian Country and rural areas—a concern discussed 

later in my testimony. 

Cultural differences also present a challenge for the Bureau when it counts AIAN 

populations. Native communities have unique customs, and in many, English is not 

the primary language spoken. Without proper education and training, enumerators 

may have difficulty communicating effectively with people living in some Native 

communities. We must also acknowledge that many American Indian and Alaska 

Native households remain deeply distrustful of the federal government due to historical trauma, which can impact their willingness to cooperate with the Bureau’s 

enumeration efforts. 

The 2020 Decennial Census will be unlike any Census ever conducted in the 

United States. It will rely largely on households responding online, rather than by 

submitting a paper questionnaire. It will require a large and complex system of computer hardware and software, which has encountered serious problems during development. Outreach and communications efforts, which are of critical importance to 

Indian Country, are likely to be scaled back due to funding shortfalls. In my home 

state of Alaska, where 92,000 Native people live in hard-to-count communities, we 

are extremely concerned about the potential for a significant undercount of the 

AIAN population during the next Decennial Census. However, it is not too late for 

Congress to influence a better and more equitable outcome for Indian Country in 

2020. 

Promoting an Accurate Count of American Indian and Alaska Native 

People 

What can Congress and the Census Bureau do to ensure an accurate count of Indian Country in 2020? While there are certain revenue-neutral measures that Congress and the Administration can take, including appointing qualified, professional, 

and nonpartisan leadership to oversee Census Bureau operations, the reality is that 

conducting a fair and accurate Census will require additional resources. 

Census Bureau Funding 

Appropriators have significantly restricted the Census Bureau’s funding in recent 

years, directing that the 2020 Census should cost no more than the 2010 Census 

did. 14 This mandate was issued despite the decline in purchasing power due to inflation, the need to count approximately 30 million more Americans, and the increasing complexity of ensuring the security and confidentiality of the data collected. 

The significance of recent Census Bureau funding shortfalls is illustrated in the 

graph below, which compares the funding trend for the upcoming 2020 Decennial 

Census to the funding trends for the three previous decennial censuses. As the 

graph shows, Census Bureau funding usually ramps up in the few years preceding 

the decennial census, but this has not been the case so far for the 2020 Decennial. 

15 

15 U.S. Census Bureau, ‘‘2017 Census Test; Preparing for the 2020 Census, Colville Indian 

Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, WA,’’ undated. 16 U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census Program Memorandum Series, ‘‘Adjustment of FY 2017 

Test Scope,’’ by Lisa M. Blumerman dated October 18, 2016. 

Census Bureau funding shortfalls have already significantly impacted Indian 

Country. Prior to each of the last several decennials, the Bureau tested its enumeration procedures in reservation areas. Tests were planned for April 2017 on the 

Standing Rock reservation in North and South Dakota and the Colville reservation 

in north-central Washington. These tests were intended to refine the Bureau’s methods for enumerating areas with unique location characteristics, where it could not 

mail a Census form to a street address. The tests were also intended to evaluate 

the integration of Census Bureau systems for the specific type of enumeration most 

frequently used in remote and rural tribal communities. 15

The Census Bureau abruptly cancelled the tests on the Standing Rock and 

Coleville Reservations in October of 2016. The Bureau memo describing the cancellation stated: 

‘‘The proposed funding levels in both the House and Senate from the spring of 

2016 require us to prioritize other activities in 2017 rather than expend the resources necessary to conduct two planned 2020 Census field tests in 2017. 

Given the current uncertainty about 2017 funding, the Census Bureau will not 

continue expending resources to prepare for the FY 2017 field tests, only to receive insufficient resources to conduct them.’’ 16

Underfunding of Census Bureau operations indisputably caused the cancellation 

of testing on the Standing Rock and Coleville Reservations. An insufficient budget 

request for the Census Bureau in FY 2018 also caused the cancellation of two of 

three planned ‘‘dress rehearsal’’ sites in 2018. The Census Bureau originally 

planned to conduct the 2018 End-to-End Census Test for Providence County, Rhode 

Island; Pierce County, Washington; and the Bluefield-Beckley-Oak Hill area of West 

Virginia. Testing was cancelled for all sites except Providence County, leaving the 

Bureau without any experience as to how the Census process may work in 2020 in 

rural areas, on reservations, and in many other tribal communities. Without testing, 

the Bureau will be forced to use unproven methods and operations in Indian Country in 2020. That’s like flying a prototype airliner for the first time with a full complement of 300 passengers on board. It is imperative that Congress fund additional 

focused testing in 2018 or 2019 to compensate for the canceled tests on reservations 

and in rural areas. 

Insufficient funding has also damaged the Bureau’s ability to engage with tribes 

and tribal organizations through its Partnership Program. Obtaining an accurate 

count in Native communities requires significant outreach efforts that individually 

target each tribal community, engaging persons and organizations the local community trusts and vigorously promoting participation in the Decennial Census. The 

Census Bureau undertakes this crucial work through its Partnership Program. 


214a1.eps
16 

In 2010, the Census Bureau employed approximately 3,800 partnership staff during peak operations. By comparison, the Bureau plans to hire just 800 Partnership 

Specialists for the 2020 Census, according to congressional testimony provided by 

Commerce Secretary Ross last October. Even more concerning is the fact that the 

Bureau has hired only 43 Partnership Specialists to date. Back home in Alaska, a 

single Partnership Specialist conducts the Bureau’s outreach to all 229 federally recognized tribes in our state. Our Partnership Specialist must also handle all of the 

Bureau’s outreach efforts with each and every municipality, city, borough, and other 

unit of local government across Alaska. As if that charge were not unreasonable 

enough, our Partnership Specialist does not just cover Alaska; she is expected to 

serve a four-state region. It is an impossible task. 

Forty-three Partnership Specialists nationwide would be an entirely insufficient 

number to engage trusted community members and mobilize local education and 

outreach efforts in Indian Country alone. Expecting those few dozen people to complete that work for every single community throughout United States of America is 

patently absurd. We call upon Congress to provide sufficient funding for the Bureau 

to immediately hire another 157 Partnership Specialists, bringing the total number 

of Partnership Specialists to 200 in 2018, just 5.3 percent of the number hired for 

the 2010 Decennial Census. Further, we urge Congress to provide funding for roughly 2,000 Partnership Specialists and assistants during peak preparations and operations in 2019 and 2020. Given the growing challenges to a fair and accurate 2020 

Census, a greater outreach effort will help overcome fear and distrust of the federal 

government in Native communities and help keep overall census costs in check. 

Like its Partnership Program, the Bureau’s communications campaign is a vital 

investment to ensure a cost-effective and accurate census. The Commerce Department recently concluded that public cooperation in 2020 will be lower than originally projected, which will increase costs substantially. A robust advertising and 

outreach campaign could help ease public concerns about cyber-security, confidentiality, and the safety of responding to the Census. It is also critical to determine 

the targeted messaging that will be most effective in specific hard-to-count communities, like those throughout Indian Country. Unfortunately, campaign planning, 

messaging research, and testing is already many months behind schedule because 

of insufficient funding. Congress should provide increased funding in FY 2018–2020 

to put the Bureau’s communications campaign back on track. 

Underfunding the Bureau’s Partnership Program and communications campaign 

is penny wise and pound foolish. The Census Bureau has estimated that its costs 

increased by approximately $85 million for each one percent of households that did 

not mail back their census form in 2010. A reasonably staffed Partnership Program 

and an effective communications campaign can significantly reduce the rate of nonresponding households, making them sound investments in an accurate and cost-efficient census. 

To ensure that the 2020 Decennial Census does not exacerbate the undercount of 

American Indian and Alaska Native persons that occurred in 2010, appropriators 

should fund the Census Bureau’s Periodic Censuses and Programs budget at $1.578 

billion for 2018, for a total Census Budget of $1.848 billion. This figure includes the 

administration’s adjusted budget request (+$187 million more than its original 

budget proposal), plus $164 million more to expand the partnership and communications programs and to begin to increase the number of local census offices. 

Census Bureau Leadership 

Leadership of the Census Bureau, particularly at the Director level, will greatly 

influence the success or failure of the 2020 Decennial Census in accurately counting 

American Indian and Alaska Native people. The immediate past Director of the 

Census Bureau demonstrated a willingness to listen to tribal perspectives and the 

ability to carefully reflect upon the opinions and information provided before making 

decisions that would affect tribes and AIAN people. He listened alertly during numerous day-long consultation sessions with tribal leaders and representatives of 

tribal organizations. He also strengthened the role of the Tribal Affairs Coordinator 

within the Bureau’s Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. 

Currently, the position of Census Bureau Director is vacant. The President has 

not advanced a nominee, who will be subject to Senate confirmation. Whoever is 

chosen to lead the Census Bureau will be in a position to greatly influence the future of Indian Country. We ask that the Senate help ensure that the role is filled 

by a principled individual with relevant professional expertise, substantial management experience, and a willingness to work with the diverse populations impacted 

by Census Bureau data collections. 

17 

Tribal Enrollment Question 

The Census Bureau spent considerable time researching and evaluating the risks 

and potential benefits of including a tribal enrollment question in the 2020 Decennial Census. After careful study and more than a dozen full-day consultation sessions with tribes and tribal organizations from across the country, the Bureau determined that it would not recommend the inclusion of a question on tribal enrollment. 

I urge the members of this committee to stand by the Bureau’s well-informed decision. 

It is my understanding that in nearly all of the Bureau’s consultation sessions, 

the significant majority of tribal representatives expressed disapproval of the possible inclusion of a tribal enrollment question. This position was reinforced by the 

National Congress of American Indians, which passed a resolution explicitly opposing the inclusion of a tribal enrollment question. 

Tribes oppose the inclusion of a tribal enrollment question for several reasons. 

Some tribes have concerns about the implications to tribal sovereignty. Because the 

Decennial Census is based upon self-identification, the only way for the Bureau to 

confirm enrollment would involve tribes disclosing their roles for purposes of 

verification. Tribes were also concerned that the question would produce flawed and 

inaccurate data. Because there is no universal definition of ‘‘tribe’’ across federal 

tribal programs, it would be impossible for a single enrollment question to accurately measure ‘‘tribal members’’ for the purposes of federal Native American programs. Additionally, in places like Alaska, many tribal members identify their tribe 

based upon their racial or ethnic identity. A tribal enrollment question would fail 

to capture this distinction and would lead to inaccurate data. For these reasons, a 

tribal enrollment question does not belong on the Decennial Census or any other 

Census Bureau data collection. 

The American Community Survey 

While the focus of this hearing is the 2020 Decennial Census, I am compelled to 

also stress the importance of the Census Bureau’s annual American Community 

Survey (ACS). The ACS is the best available source of uniform data on Native communities across the country. It is utilized in numerous federal funding formulas, including for the Indian Housing Block Grant. 

Unlike the Decennial Census, which seeks to count every person in the country, 

the ACS is a survey. It is sent to a sample of households within any given community. Although the Census Bureau has instituted procedures that increase the sampling rates for American Indian and Alaska Native areas, a measure for which it 

should be applauded, it remains critical to Indian Country that Congress adequately 

funds the ACS. 

I also urge Congress to ensure that the ACS remains a mandatory data collection. 

Recent years have seen efforts by some organizations and Members of Congress to 

make ACS response voluntary. Studies suggest that making the ACS voluntary 

would lower the national response rate by over 20 percent. To account for this drop 

in responses the Bureau would need to increase the sample size, which would translate to significantly more federal dollars spent conducting the ACS without any 

guarantee of improved data reliability or usefulness. In fact, a short-lived ‘‘experiment’’ with a voluntary census form in Canada resulted in the loss of data for about 

25 percent of the country’s communities, most notably the rural and sparsely populated areas that are home to many of Canada’s Native peoples. The Canadian government reversed course when the next census took place, restoring the mandatory 

response requirement for its survey on household social and economic characteristics. 

While there have been limited discussions about creating a new federally-administered tribal survey, the costs of doing so are prohibitive. Various estimates suggest 

that it would cost between $20 and $140 million to conduct such a survey just once 

every five years. Considering the substantial unmet needs throughout Indian Country, from health care to housing, we in Alaska prefer to avoid duplicating data collection efforts and instead focus on working with the Census Bureau to enhance the 

accuracy of the ACS. 

Conclusion 

I would like to briefly recognize Norm DeWeaver, Terri Ann Lowenthal, and the 

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights for their distinguished and ongoing work to educate stakeholders across the country about how Census data collections affect Alaska Native and American Indian populations. Their engagement has 

informed my participation on the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee 

and has been deeply appreciated. 

18 

I would also like to recognize the talented and dedicated employees of the U.S. 

Census Bureau for their authentic engagement on tribal issues. I have had the 

pleasure to work with so many of them over the past half-decade, including Tim 

Olson, Associate Director for Field Operations, who is deeply passionate about the 

work the Bureau does. There’s James Christy, who heads the Los Angeles Regional 

Office but now finds himself helping to fill capacity gaps in Bureau Headquarters 

in Maryland. Jamey has always made time to listen to tribes in Alaska, despite the 

enormity of his role for the Census Bureau. And of course, there is Dee Alexander, 

who has brought new accountability to tribes and Native peoples through her role 

as the Bureau’s Tribal Affairs Coordinator. We appreciate and value the work they 

do every single day. 

Please understand that I am here today to tell you that these incredible people 

and their many colleagues at the Census Bureau are NOT the reason I fear that 

American Indian and Alaska Native people will be undercounted in 2020. I fear we 

will be undercounted because there are too few of them and because they are not 

being given the resources they need to do their jobs thoroughly. I am asking you 

today, in no uncertain terms, to help change that. 

I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and I hope the information I have provided today has reinforced the vital importance of the 2020 Census for Indian Country. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Ms. Gore. 

President Keel. 

STATEMENT OF HON. JEFFERSON KEEL, PRESIDENT, 

NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS 

Mr. KEEL. Thank you, Senator Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, 

and members of the Committee. Before I begin, I want to, first of 

all, state my support and our support and appreciation for the reauthorization of the Tribal Law and Order Act and improvements 

to that bill to help secure Indian Country, so thank you for that 

action. We appreciate that. 

On behalf of the National Congress of American Indians, I want 

to thank you for holding this hearing on how to ensure Indian 

Country counts in the upcoming decennial census. In the spring of 

2020, the Nation will be focused on the decennial census; however, 

plans and funding are required now for an accurate enumeration, 

with no differential undercounts. 

The upcoming census will be unlike any other census undertaken 

before. The failure to fully enumerate the American Indian and 

Alaska Native population could result in devastating consequences, 

including reductions in access to Federal and State services and resources. 

The census is a foundational tenet of American democracy, mandated in the U.S. Constitution and central to America’s representative form of government. A fair democracy requires an accurate 

population count. It is necessary to ensure that Native voters have 

an equal voice in the political process of non-tribal elections. 

As you know, American Indians and Alaska Native people are especially at risk for undercounts. As stated before, the Census Bureau estimates that in the most recent census nearly 5 percent of 

Native people on reservations were missed. In the 1990 Census, as 

noted, the net undercount for American Indians on reservations 

were more than 12 percent. 

Some years have been better, though. The undercount was just 

1 percent in 2000. 

19 

Careful planning and consultation with Tribes and operations in 

partnerships and adequate resources are critical to addressing the 

barriers to counting Native people. 

A number of factors contribute to Native people being hard to 

count. The Census Bureau identified the factors that are associated 

with undercounts in the census. These include poverty, low educational attainment, lacking a telephone, unemployment, and linguistic isolation, among others. 

Many of the characteristics that make the Native people at risk 

for being undercounted persist since 2010, such as economic hardship and low education. In 2015, 38 percent of Native individuals 

on reservations were living in poverty, compared to 13 percent of 

the U.S. population. 

Young children are also undercounted at high rates, which is 

concerning given that Native people on reservations have a median 

age of 9 years lower than the national average. 

The Census Bureau will again need the resources for operations 

counting Native people in the 2020 Census. The credibility of the 

Census Bureau is critical for public trust and the integrity of the 

2020 Census and all census statistics. This is why non-partisan objective census leadership is important. It also makes the partnership program and communications campaign critical to a successful 

2020 Census. 

Research on barriers and attitudes about the census shows that 

Native people had the lowest intent to respond in 2010. They also 

did not believe responding would lead to any positive result in their 

community. Resources for census partnerships and finding trusted 

messengers to address Tribal cynicism and suspicion about the use 

and purpose of the census is critical to a successful 2020 count. 

However, as we move into the middle of fiscal year 2018, funding 

for the Census Bureau is a significant problem. Throughout the entire 2020 Census lifecycle, fiscal year 2012 to 2021, Congress, every 

year, has not provided the amount of money the Census Bureau requested. This means that the 2020 Census has already been underfunded from the start. 

Unfortunately, uncertainty about funding levels resulted in the 

cancelling of planned field tests on the Standing Rock Reservation 

in North and South Dakota, and the Colville Reservation in Washington. This eliminated critical testing of methods for the 2020 

Census. 

In addition to the funding request and strong census leadership, 

we also oppose the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 

form. Changes to the census form this close to the 2020 Census 

would jeopardize the response of hard-to-count communities. 

We urge the Committee to address the funding and policy concerns raised in this testimony, all issues that are critical to making 

sure American Indians and Alaska Natives are accurately counted. 

Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Keel follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. JEFFERSON KEEL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL CONGRESS

OF AMERICAN INDIANS

On behalf of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), I want to thank 

you for holding this hearing on how to ensure Indian Country counts in the upcomVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 029840 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\29840.TXT JACK
20 

ing decennial Census. In the spring of 2020, the attention of the nation will be focused on the decennial Census, however plans and funding are required now for an 

accurate enumeration, with no differential undercounts. The upcoming Census will 

be unlike any other census undertaken before. The failure to fully enumerate the 

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population could result in devastating 

consequences, including reductions in access to federal and state services and resources. 

Foundational to Democracy 

The Census is a critical and powerful information source that will significantly 

influence American policy for the coming decade. It is a foundational tenet of American democracy, mandated in article 1, section 2 of the US Constitution and central 

to our representative form of government. A fair democracy requires an accurate 

population count. 

The U.S. population is enumerated every 10 years and census data are used to 

allocate Congressional seats, electoral votes, and is the basis for political redistricting. Under the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal representation, congressional districts must have roughly equal numbers of people, so census data are used 

to draw district lines. Public Law 94–171 governs the release of census data for redistricting at the federal, state, and local levels, and an accurate count is necessary 

to ensure that American Indian and Alaska Native voters have an equal voice in 

the political process of non-tribal elections. Jurisdictions also use census data to 

comply with the Voting Rights Act, such as making sure Native voters have access 

to language assistance when they cast their votes in an election. 

Essential to Fair Resource Distribution 

In addition to its use in fair voting representation, census data play a key role 

in the fair distribution of billions of dollars to tribes and AI/AN people across the 

nation. Federal funding for Indian schools, Indian education programs, Indian 

health programs, Indian housing programs, water and sewage projects, roads, and 

economic development are distributed on the basis of data collected by the Census 

Bureau. 

American Indians/Alaska Natives at Risk for Undercounts 

Certain population groups are at higher risk of being missed in the decennial census—groups considered hard-to-count. Native people especially on reservations and 

in Alaska Native villages have been historically underrepresented in the census, and 

in 2020, new methodologies for enumerating the U.S. population could put other 

groups at risk. In the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau estimates that American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations or in Native villages were undercounted by approximately 4.9 percent, more than double the undercount rate of the 

next closest population group. 1

The net undercount for American Indians living on reservations was also very 

high in 1990, with an estimated 12.2 percent missed. About one in three Native people live in hard-to-count census tracts. 2 The Census Bureau identifies twelve characteristics that are associated with census undercounts, including linguistic isolation, poverty, low educational attainment, lacking a telephone, unemployment, and 

others. 3 A recent report found that although the rural population is generally easier 

to enumerate than the urban population, certain rural areas will be difficult to 

count in 2020, such as American Indians on reservations and Alaska Natives, as 

well as Hispanics in the Southwest, residents of Appalachia, migrant workers, and 

African Americans in the rural South. 4

A large proportion of American Indians/Alaska Natives in certain states live in 

hard-to-count (HTC) tracts; for instance, in New Mexico 78.6 percent of AI/AN people live in HTC tracts, 68.1 percent in Arizona, 65.6 percent in Alaska, 52.4 percent 

in South Dakota, and 49.9 percent in Montana. 5

Households in poverty are very hard to count: in 2015, 38.3 percent of Native individuals on reservations were living in poverty compared to the national rate of 13 

percent. 6 Young children are also undercounted at disproportionately high rates 

compared to other age groups, and Native people on reservations have a median age 

nine years lower than the national average. 7 The poverty rate is 46.3 percent for 

AI/AN-alone youth ages 0 to 17 in reservation areas. 8 Many of the characteristics 

that make American Indians and Alaska Native hard to count persist, such as economic hardship and education, and thus the Census Bureau will again need the resources to enumerate accurately the AI/AN population in the 2020 Census. 

Barriers, Attitudes, and Motivators 

The Census Bureau plans to conduct the Census Barriers, Attitudes, and 

Motivators Survey (CBAMS) to inform work on the 2020 Census Integrated PartnerVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 029840 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\29840.TXT JACK
21 

ship and Communications Plan. While attitudes and the political climate may have 

changed since the 2010 CBAMS, the results of the last study are informative as 

baseline data to understand the critical need for effective education and outreach 

activities for 2020. The 2010 CBAMS results showed that among racial and ethnic 

groups, AI/AN people and Asians had the lowest overall intent to respond. Some of 

the other relevant findings from then: 9

• Native people reported less favorability and were less likely to think responding 

to the Census was important (p. 21). 

• AI/ANs felt that they were familiar with the Census and its purpose. However, 

while AI/ANs understood that the Census ‘‘lets government know what my community needs,’’ they did not see results in their community (p. 21). 

• They do not tend to consider it a ‘‘civic responsibility’’ to answer the Census, 

but answering the Census reflects pride in oneself (p. 22). 

• Many did not feel it was important to participate in the Census nor did they 

view it favorable. 

• The previous report suggested ‘‘that messages targeted to American Indians 

should focus on appealing to a sense of civic duty as well as on specific information about the Census.’’ (p. 22) 

• AI/ANs in particular were characterized by a unique belief profile. They were 

much more likely than other groups to express skepticism about the use and 

purposes of the Census and the security of Census data, and they were the only 

group for which agreement that it is important for everyone to be counted was 

lower than 90 percent (p. 24). 

• American Indians expressed cynicism about the importance of the Census, and 

they were particularly characterized by suspicion about the use and purpose of 

the Census (p. 25). 

The 2010 report recommended that, ‘‘while strong conclusions about this group 

are not warranted, the data suggest that messages focusing on civic duty might be 

effective among American Indians’’ (p. 34). The analysis suggested that while AI/ 

AN people expressed negative feelings about the Census and skepticism, they are 

relatively knowledgeable about its purpose (p. 36). The report recommended focusing on census as a civic duty, security of census data, and how the Census has benefited AI/AN communities. 

These results are important since many aspects of public life have changed since 

the last Census, with heightened concern around security of digital data, federal 

government agency breaches, as well as the perception of increasingly strained race 

relations. 

These new elements of the social landscape may exacerbate some of the barriers 

to Census participation, especially mistrust of government and the perception that 

participation in the census will lead to improvements in one’s community. Messages 

appealing to civic duty for AI/AN people may also have to be implemented in new 

ways. However, AI/AN trust in government varies based on whether the government 

is local (tribal), state, or federal—trust in tribal government is often much higher 

than trust in the federal government. Finding the trusted messengers in Indian 

Country is critical to an effective public education and outreach campaign, especially 

for AI/AN people. 

Impacts of Undercounts in Indian Country 

Undercounting AI/AN people in the 2020 Census could lead to inefficient distribution of federal funding to tribes. Each tribe and tribal community has unique health, 

housing, education, and economic development needs. Many programs serving tribes 

are funded based entirely or in part on census or census-derived data, including the 

following. 

• The Indian Housing Block Grant Program (IHBG) is a formula grant that provides a range of affordable housing activities on Indian reservations and Indian 

areas. The block grant approach to housing for Native Americans was enabled 

by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996 

(NAHASDA). The block grant program, which is based almost entirely on census data, served, helped build, or rehabilitated 5,014 units in 2015. 

• Population data used in the IHBG program are also used to allocate money for 

the Tribal Transportation Programs administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Several child welfare programs administered by the Children’s Bureau in 

the Department of Health and Human Services also use Census data for fund 

allocation. 

22 

• The special Native American workforce programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act distributed almost $49 million for the Comprehensive 

Services Program and an additional nearly $13 million for the Supplemental 

Youth Services program in Program Year 2017. The fund allocation system for 

each of these two programs uses Census data exclusively. The program supports 

employment and training activities in order to develop more fully the academic, 

occupational and literacy skills; make individuals more competitive in the workforce; and promote economic and social development in accordance with the 

goals and values of such communities. 

• The Indian Health Service provides access to comprehensive and culturally acceptable healthcare to AI/AN people, a critical program that fulfills the federal 

treaty and trust obligations to tribal people. The IHS provides services to 2.2 

million Natives nationwide and uses Census data for planning and implementation of programs. 10 IHS also uses Census data in a number of its funding distribution formulas. 

Concerns with the 2020 Census 

Careful planning and adequate funding now and leading up to 2020 are essential 

to minimizing undercounts of the American Indian and Alaska Native population. 

As we move into the middle of FY 2018, funding for the Census Bureau appears 

to be a significant problem. 

Peak operations for the 2020 Census will start in two years. Early operations are 

underway for an important ‘‘dress rehearsal’’ in 2018 (the End-to-End Census Test). 

State, local, and tribal governments are preparing to review address lists and digital 

maps for their communities (the Local Update of Census Addresses program, or 

LUCA), which create the universe for the count in 2020. As in every decade, the 

U.S. Census Bureau must have a steady annual funding ramp-up between now and 

2020 for the constitutionally required enumeration, to ensure on-time, comprehensive final testing and preparations. 

The Census Bureau is funded through the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) 

Appropriations bill. Throughout the entire 2020 Census lifecycle (FY 2012–FY 

2021), Congress every year has not allocated the amount of money the Census Bureau requested. This means that the 2020 Census has been underfunded from the 

start. 


214a2.eps
23 

For context, the Census Bureau generally ramps up for the decennial count with 

a decade-long cycle of spending, starting with research and testing in the fiscal year 

ending in ‘‘2.’’ Generally, after modest but important increases earlier in the decade, 

Census budgets begin to rise significantly in the fiscal year ending in ‘‘6,’’ when the 

Bureau must begin to operationalize the census design and conduct larger field 

tests. After preparation during the year ending in ‘‘8,’’ address canvassing takes 

place in the eighth year of the cycle (e.g. 1989 before the 1990 Census). 

Census outreach and promotion, as well as recruitment of hundreds of thousands 

temporary field staff, begins in the year before the census. Peak Census operations 

start in late January in remote Alaska in the year ending in ‘‘0’’—Census Year! Census operations wind down in the 10th year of the lifecycle (e.g. 2021), with tabulation and publication of the census data will carry our nation through the next decade. 

Impact on American Indians/Alaska Natives 

Unfortunately, uncertainty about FY 2017 funding levels and lack of sufficient appropriations resulted in the Census Bureau canceling planned field tests on the 

Standing Rock Reservation in North and South Dakota and the Colville Reservation 

and Off-Reservation Trust land in Washington State, which eliminated critical testing of methods for the 2020 Census. These field tests would have helped the Bureau 

evaluate methods for counting people in tribal areas lacking street addresses, and 

test methods of making in-person counts in Native households. Inadequate funding 

has compelled the Census Bureau to announce ‘‘pauses’’ and modifications for key 

2020 Census activities, which could greatly diminish the Bureau’s ability to take an 

accurate, cost-effective census and is expected to increase the disproportionate 

undercount of American Indian and Alaska Natives, especially those living in rural, 

lowincome, geographically isolated, and/or linguistically isolated households. 

Overall Recommendations 

NCAI urges Congress to ensure a sufficient funding ramp-up for the 2020 Census 

in Fiscal Year 2018 and beyond, without undermining other core programs such as 

the American Community Survey (ACS), Economic Census, and other economic and 

demographic surveys and programs (such as the Current Population Survey (CPS) 

and Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE), all of which are critical to 

monitoring the well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives. NCAI also includes two non-funding recommendations to ensure a successful 2020 Census: urging strong, permanent, and nonpartisan leadership for the Census Bureau and opposing the addition of a citizenship question. 

Funding Details 

The FY 2018 continuing resolution that runs through March 23, 2018 provides a 

temporary adjustment of an additional $182 million for the Census Bureau to meet 

necessary deadlines in preparing for the 2020 Decennial Census. That amount falls 

short of the Administration’s revised FY 2018 funding request of +$187 million over 

the President’s original budget, but it is at least a first step toward full funding. 

NCAI continues to support the amount needed to fully fund critical outreach, promotion, and partnership activities in the full year appropriations bill for FY 2018. 

NCAI urges Congress to enact a total of at least $1.848 billion for the Census Bureau in the final Omnibus FY 2018 appropriations bill, which Congress must pass 

and the president must sign by March 23 to avoid another CR or government shutdown. 

NCAI adopted resolution MKE–17–050, ‘‘Support for Census Programs, Surveys, 

and Other Critical Preparations for Accurate Enumeration in the 2020 Census,’’ 

which calls for full funding for the Census Bureau to meet updated cost projections 

for the 2020 Census. 11

Included in the $1.848 billion for the Census Bureau, NCAI supports a total discretionary appropriation of $270 million for Current Surveys and Programs, equal 

to the Senate Appropriations Committee mark and the FY 2017 appropriation. 

NCAI also supports a total discretionary appropriation of $1.578 billion for Periodic Census and Programs, which is $140 million above the adjusted request for the 

2020 Census program. This amount includes: 

T32020 Census: $1.127 billion, at a minimum, derived as follows: 

• $987 million, administration’s adjusted request 

• +$50 million for the contingency fund proposed by Commerce Secretary Ross 

• +$80 million for development of the communications campaign under Integrated 

Partnership and Communications contract (Y&R) 

24 

• +$10 million to increase the number of Partnership Specialists from 43 to 200 

in FY 2018 

Further justification: 

An increase is needed for communications research and development (+$80 million). NCAI supports additional funding in FY 2018 to expand research and testing 

(including surveys and focus groups) of effective messaging for the growing number 

of communities, such as American Indians on reservations and Alaska Natives, at 

higher risk of undercounting. NCAI considers it critical that the creative development of the advertising campaign is on schedule. The Integrated Partnership and 

Communications (IPC) contract was awarded a year earlier than the 2010 Census 

cycle, but budget delays and shortfalls in FY 2017 caused delays in funding the contract for this work. Unfortunately, messaging research and creative development for 

the advertising campaign are now behind the comparable schedule for the 2010 Census. NCAI supports restoring some level of testing in rural and remote areas in the 

next year, which includes methods used on American Indian reservations and in 

Alaska Native villages. With cancellation of two of three 2018 dress rehearsal sites, 

the Census Bureau will be forced to use methods and operations in these communities in 2020 that are untested or not fully tested, and which could lead to an 

undercount and cost increases. 

An increase is needed in the number of Partnership Specialists engaged in outreach to state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations 

(+$10 million). Congress should provide increased funding in fiscal years 2018 

through 2020 for the Partnership Program and related promotion campaign, which 

will ensure the 2020 Census is cost-efficient and can help constrain the cost of followup with reluctant, unresponsive households. The Tribal Liaison Program is a 

very important component of this partnership program in Indian Country and 

should be funded at no less than it was for the 2010 decennial. Forty-three Partnership Specialists is insufficient to do the outreach and education necessary for the 

2020 Census in an increasingly difficult civic environment. The first phase of the 

2020 Census communications plan is scheduled to start in a year, and some census 

offices will open early in 2019 to support preliminary census activities. Tribal officials and tribal ‘trusted messengers’ at the grassroots level must be prepared to reinforce the Census Bureau’s messages, explain census activities, and help identify 

candidates for temporary census positions. Tribes and tribal organizations will also 

need to address fears about census participation. 

NCAI urges that Congress request a cost estimate for the advance work needed 

in FY 2018 to increase the number of Area Census Offices to 300 in FY 2019– 

FY2020 and to include additional funding for this activity in the final FY 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill. NCAI supports the expansion of the Census Bureau’s 

Areas Census Offices and census takers for peak census operations (2019–2020). 

Census Leadership 

Census leadership is critical for the agency to carry out its mission of serving as 

the leading source of objective, quality data about the nation’s people and economy. 

The Census Bureau’s leadership must uphold its core principles of protecting confidentiality, sharing expertise, and conducting its work openly and fairly. The Census must be carried out in a non-partisan way, guided by a commitment to objectivity. This person must have an extensive background in demography or the statistical sciences and significant experience in the management of a large public or nonprofit organization. 

Right now, the need for strong, permanent leadership at the Census Bureau is 

more important than ever as the agency prepares for the 2020 decennial count. 

NCAI urges the Administration to put forward candidates for Census Director and 

Census Bureau Deputy Director who can lead the agency in a nonpartisan, scientifically objective way. A nominee or appointment that undermines the credibility of 

the Bureau’s role as a nonpartisan statistical agency would also imperil the public 

trust in the integrity of the 2020 Census and all census statistics. 

Citizenship Question 

In December 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice requested to add a question 

about citizenship to the 2020 Census. The Constitution requires a count, regardless 

of citizenship or legal status, of all persons living in the United States on Census 

Day. 

Changes to the census form this close to 2020 Census planning would jeopardize 

the validity of the tests of alternative questionnaires and designs, which the Census 

Bureau has spent years testing. A change to the questionnaire now would impact 

the outreach and partnership strategies designed around different content. Changes 

25 

to the form would potentially have adverse and unintended consequences for 2020 

census operations and the accuracy of the data. 

Adding a citizenship question could also have cost implications if added this late 

in the 2020 Census cycle. The self-response rates that the 2020 Census Operational 

Plan bases staffing levels on did not include a question on citizenship. Experts expect that adding a question on citizenship will lower initial response, leading to an 

expanded Nonresponse Follow-up operation, which will increase the cost of the census without improving accuracy. NCAI opposes the Justice Department’s request to 

add a citizenship question to the decennial census. 

Conclusion 

On behalf of the National Congress of American Indians, we thank you for holding 

this hearing to ensure Indian Country counts. The decennial census is a 

foundational tenet of American democracy and central to our representative form of 

government. A fair democracy requires an accurate population count, including 

throughout Indian Country. We urge the Committee to address the funding and policy concerns raised in this testimony, all issues that are critical to making sure 

American Indians and Alaska Natives are accurately counted. 

ENDNOTES 

1 U.S. Census Bureau. (2012). ‘‘Census Bureau Releases Estimates of Undercount 

and Overcount in the 2010 Census’’ accessed at https://www.census.gov/newsroom/ 

releases/archives/2010lcensus/cb12–95.html 

2 Leadership Conference Education Fund. (2018). Table 1a. States Ranked by 

Number of American Indian/Alaska Natives (race alone or in combination) living in 

Hard-to-Count (HTC) Census 2 Leadership Conference Education Fund. (2018). 

Table 1a. States Ranked by T Nraucmtsb. eArc ocef sAsmede raitc an Indian/Alaska 

Natives (race alone or in combination) living in Hard-to-Count (HTC) Census Tracts. 

Accessed at http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/census/2020/Table1a-States-NumberAIAN-HTC.pdf 

3 O’Hare, William. (2017). 2020 Census Faces Challenges in Rural America. National Issue Brief #131. University of New Hampshire, Carsey Research 

4 O’Hare, William. (2017). 2020 Census Faces Challenges in Rural America. National Issue Brief #131. University of New Hampshire, Carsey Research 

5 Leadership Conference Education Fund. (2018). Table 1a. States Ranked by 

Number of American Indian/Alaska Natives (race alone or in combination) living in 

Hard-to-Count (HTC) Census Tracts. Accessed at http://civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/ 

census/2020/Table1a-States-Number-AIAN-HTC.pdf 

6 ‘‘Table B17001C: Selected Population Profile in the United States: 2015 American Community Survey 1–Year Estimates.’’ U.S. Census Bureau, Retrieved 13 December 2017. Available at https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/ 

15l1YR/B17001C/0100000US/0100089US. 

7 The Native median age on reservations is 29.1 years compared to the U.S. median age of 37.8 years. ‘‘Median Age by Sex (American Indian and Alaska Native).’’ 

U.S. Census Bureau, Retrieved 2017. Available at: https://factfinder.census.gov/ 

bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15l1YR/B01002C/0100000US/0100089US 

8 2012–2016 5-year ACS estimates by land area 

9 C2PO 2010 Census Integrated Communications Campaign Research Memoranda Series, No. 11, ‘‘Census Barriers, Attitudes and Motivators Survey Analytic 

Report’’ May 18, 2009 

10 ‘‘Trends in Indian Health: 2014 Edition.’’ Indian Health Service, March 2015. 

Available at https://www.ihs.gov/dps/publications/trends2014/ 

11 MKE–17–050 ‘‘Support for Census Programs, Surveys, and Other Critical 

Preparations for Accurate Enumeration in the 2020 Census’’ accessed at http:// 

www.ncai.org/resources/resolutions/support-for-census-programs-surveysand-othercritical-preparations-for-accurate-enumeration-in-the-2020-census 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, President Keel. 

Mr. TUCKER. 

STATEMENT OF JAMES T. TUCKER, PRO BONO VOTING 

RIGHTS COUNSEL, NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND 

Mr. TUCKER. Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall, and members of the Committee, on behalf of the Native American Rights 

26 

Fund, thank you for examining how to make Indian Country count 

in the 2020 Census. 

The 2020 Census is one of the foremost civil rights issues in Indian Country. It serves as the keystone for our representative government. Past undercounts have deprived hundreds of thousands of 

Native Americans of their voice in government. Without an equal 

voice in elections, Indian Country is deprived of access to the resources and policy decisions that are so desperately needed in some 

of the Nation’s most economically disadvantaged communities. 

In the 2010 Census, the undercount of those living on tribal 

lands was 4.9 percent, more than double the undercount weight of 

the next closest population group. 

There are significant challenges to making Indian Country count. 

Historical distrust of the Federal Government often deters responses. One-third of all Native Americans, 1.7 million people, live 

in hard-to-count census tracts, including geographically isolated 

rural areas. 

Native Americans had the lowest census mail response rate in 

the 2015 National Content Test, which was exacerbated by lack of 

traditional mailing addresses and homelessness. Native Americans 

have the highest poverty rate of any population group, at 26.6 percent. On federally recognized Indian reservations in Alaska Native 

villages, that rate is 38.3 percent. 

Over one quarter of all Native Americans are under 18 years of 

age, with a third of those below the poverty line. Language barriers 

and illiteracy are pervasive, especially among thousands of tribal 

elders in Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico. 

Statistical sampling is more difficult in sparsely populated tribal 

areas. Most of Indian Country lacks reliable broadband access. 

Now, the complexity of factors contributing to the undercount in 

Indian Country may seem overwhelming, and it is at times, but 

Census leadership and staff are up to the task. They are impartial, 

dedicated professionals committed to making sure that every person is counted. But they must be given the tools and resources to 

do their jobs and make every person count in Indian Country. 

The starting point is for fiscal year 2018 appropriations of at 

least $1.848 billion for the 2020 Census. That funding is needed for 

the communications campaign, more partnership program specialists, and more area census offices. The planned field tests on the 

Colville and Standing Rock Reservations must be restored to test 

enumeration of areas with high concentrations of non-mailable addresses. More resources must be committed to outreach and partnership programs in Indian Country, including program funding to 

communicate in Native languages. 

Outreach coordinators will need to be hired from village and tribal communities to identify, plan, and execute the most effective 

methods of communicating about the importance of the census and 

how to ensure an accurate count is obtained. 

In addition, the Census 2020 questionnaire should be updated to 

incorporate the Census Bureau’s recommendations from the 2015 

NCT, including, number one, providing a write-in line instead of 

the check boxes for the three American Indian and Alaska Native 

categories under the very outdated 1997 Federal race and ethnicity 

standards; number two, giving relevant examples; and, three, offerVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 029840 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 S:\DOCS\29840.TXT JACK
27 

ing enough space for multiple responses or to write a longer tribal 

or village name. 

Furthermore, trusted American Indians and Alaska Natives 

identified by tribal leadership should be enumerators and trainers 

for conducting the census in their communities. 

Finally, Census 2020 and the Bureau’s leadership must be free 

from the taint of partisanship. The census has been managed by 

neutral, impartial, non-partisan professionals, including Interim 

Director Jarmin and Interim Deputy Director Lamas, who are intimately familiar with the Bureau’s operations and are well respected by Bureau staff. Through such exacting leadership, census 

products are accepted and form the very cornerstone of the quality 

data that contributes to ensuring that we have government that is 

representative of all the people. 

NARF and its partners in the Native American Voting Rights Coalition look forward to working with this Committee to overcome 

the barriers in making Indian Country count in the 2020 Census. 

We all need to work together to get the count right. 

Thank you very much for your attention, and I will welcome the 

opportunity to answer any questions you may have. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Tucker follows:] 

28 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JAMES T. TUCKER, PRO BONO VOTING RIGHTS COUNSEL, 

NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND 1


214b1.eps
29 


214b2.eps

Overview of the American Indian and Alaska Nalive Population and its Undcrenunt 

'llte ArAN population is one of the fastest growing populntion groups in the United 

State.~. According to the 2UIU Census, the number of people identifying themselves as AlAN 

alone or in combination with one or more otlmr mccs increased nearly three times "s fast as the 

totnl U.S. population, growing by 27 pcrccm from 4.1 million in 2000 to 5.2 mi!Hon in 20IO.l 

As of 2016, the A rAN population, iucluding those of more than one men. is estimated to be 6.7 

million, comprising approximately two percent of the total populntion.4 By 2060, tlte ATAN 

population is projected to be 10.2 million ulone or in combination with one 01· more o~ter mces, 

comprising about 2.4 pcrccm of the c:stimmed total population.' 

Nearly half of all of the swtes have a substllntiul AlAN population. According to the 

Census Bureau, in 2016, 21 states had n population of 100,000 or more Alaska Natives or 

Amerkan Indian residents, alrme or in combination with another mce.6 Ala~kn had the larse.~t 

percentage nf AlAN residents, who comprised 19.9 percent of the state's population in 2016. 

Other states in the top five included Oklahoma (13.7 percent), New Mexico (11.9 percent), South 

Dakota (10.4 percent) and Montana (8.4 percent).7 In 2016, California had the largest estimated 

AlAN population, with nenrly l.l tnillion AlAN residents.~ American fndians and Ala~ka 

Natives reside in every region of the United States, whether rural or urban. 

D~ite their growth, the A[AN population continues to experience the largest census 

undcrcount of any population group. The Census Burenu estimntes that American Indians and 

Alaska Natives living on reservations or in Native villages were undercounted by approximmel~ 

4.9 percent in 2010, more than double the undercount rntc of tho next closest population group. 

The undercount occurred in 2010 despite the Census Bureau's "s~cial emphasis ... on outreach 

U.S. C""'"' Httreau. l'<lputallon DlvL<Ion, 2010 Ccusus Bt1ds, Th• An1orio•n !nd10n ant! Aln•~• No!ive 

Population: 201 0, nl 34 O•n. 2012.). 

' U.S. Census !J11re.1u. l'"!'ulntion Dl\'l<ion. Annual Esllma:cs of !Ito Resldom Population by Sox. Ago, Kn:c nnd 

Hispanic Origin for tl1: United Sl!llcs ond Stntos: 2016 Po]1u1ruian Estiruntcs. Table PEPASR5H (June 2017). 

' U.S. C"""'" Bure:111, l'opuk11ion Division. Table IO,l'rojo<:llon> of tho Populmlun by Sex, 1-H•panlc Origin, an~ 

Rooo fnrTho llni"'~ StnTe<- 7.01~ ~~ 2060 (NP2014-T10) (nee 2014) 

6 U.S. C~n•u• Bun:ou, Pupulnti<m llivi•i<>n. Anruml E.•tirrmtcs nf the Ro.<itlc~t l'nputatinn by s,,, Age, Rocc Alnnc 

nr in C<lmbinatinn, •nd llisp•nic Origin for thc United St.tes an~ Smws: April 1. 2Ul o to July r. 2016 (June 20 !7) 

("2016 AlAN E.•timatc.<"). The 21 stnlos wcr~ Alu•ku. Arirun•, C:tlifurnia, Cutmndu, Fluridu, Gwrgin, tttinui>, 

Michigan, Mlnno.';Cta, Now Jcr.1cy, New Mexico, New York, i'lort11 Cnmtin", Ohio, OklaOOn>o, Orog.nn, 

Peoosylv<lllio. Teons, Virgiuio, Woshingtono11d Wisconsin. Soe i<J. 

1 U.S. C""'"' Bureau, Facts far Features: American lnd~10 ond Alaska Notivo llcn!af:o Month: November 2017 

(Oct 6, 2017), awollabl~ m huns:tlwww.cc~'"'·"OV/new<rMmlfact<·for·fCOrure</:!017/oinn.mon>h.lnml (''2017 

AlAN Surnm•l)''). 

' 2016 AlAN Estima!cs, ;upro noto 6. for C:llllbmla. 

' U.S. C~nsus Buroau, 2010 Consus Covor.!£C 1\kmtn:mcm Rcsutlll Nev.~ Conference, PowcrPoint Prto;ont•tion !9 

(May 22, 20!2), ao•aiiab/e m lmp<:l/lvww.con<tos.gnv/2010o~n;11</nnw<lp,lfr.!lll2(1~12 com ncw<cnnl <lide<.pdf. 

The Ccn.<w. Burouu l1os determined dmt the 20!0 umbcounl i11r the ml-n:>cnulinn ALAN pnpululi11n i> >ignilioendy 

different from lhe2000 Census. !d. 
30 


214b3.eps

to those living on reservations and in Alaska Native villages and communitic5, <I p0p11lation that 

has been hi~torically undcreaunlcd."10 

There are Manv Reasons for the Undereount of American Indians aml Al11ska Natives 

Mcmb'-'1'~ of the 567 fcdera!ly recognized tribe~ 11 <tre more vulnerable than other groups 

w beiug nmlcrcountcd because of the mauy unique challenges they face. Tribal members who 

Hvc on rc.-scrvalion~ or in Alaska N;~tiYc villag:~s m;~y be geogrdpllk<dly l~ola\Cd, Nmtve 

communities overwhelmingly have smaller popnlations and reside in Hard-10-C01mt Census 

Tracts, which ncc=itatcs techniques including Nanrespon~c Follow-Up (prefcmbly in-person), 

larger sample sizes, and ovcrsampling among other things. A variety of other barriers C);ist to 

accurate enumeration, some of which <~re unique to the Americrul Indian and Ala~ka Native 

population. 

Historical distmst of the federal government: 

As a starting point, one of the most significant barriers to enumeration by the Census 

Bnreu1.1 is the bad reh1tiomhip the AlAN populution hn~ hml, und continues to have, with the 

federal govcmment. Antipathy and distrnst persist IDwards Fcdeml, State, and local governments 

because of past (and in ~orne ca~c~, On!;<.>ing) acti<.>n~ that di~criminntc <tgainst Natives or that 

undennine the preservation of their eullurc and heritage. One recent example of a federal nction 

contributing to this distrust is tim Administnttion's unlawful action in revoking und replacing the 

Benrs Ems Nu1ional Monument on December 4, 2017,t1 despite the years of effons by the Tribal 

Governments in und arouml Bcurs Ear~ to gel the Nuti<.>nal Munument establi~hcd. 13 Another is 

the Administration's revival of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines, which were 

approved in t<pite uf the dangers they po.~e to loc-dl water supplie.~ and sacred burial grounds ui 

N<~tive peoples in the Dakot;t~;. Iowa, and Nebruska. 1

·' 

In tim fall of 2016 and spring of2017, NAVRC oversaw one of the most L"Omprchcnsivc 

in-pcrnnu ~urveYl' ever conducted in Indian Country about barriers faced by Native voter.•. A 

10 U.S. C«.,US Bun:IIU. Trilrul Cw~>ulwlion Homlhook: B•c~gruuml Motorial; fnrTrihul Consulluliun• un the 2020 

c~n';IJ; 20 (Fall2015) (ll<l1ing th~l tho AlAN Progrom "'"' ct1a11gcd for the 2000 Ccn•uo "lo ntklr~« on und"rcoum 

fmm the t990 Ccnsu•, and IQ n:ilf'OCI tho divor.<ity Qf o:och lrihc"), m•lllab/$ ~~ 

lmr.:llwww.ron>t".gov/ooniOnlldnmiO>n<u.<~lbmrvmubtlomion,/20 t5/ded!.O'Il tribol oon.<uttmion handboo~.ptlf. 

11 US. Dcp't or thu lmcrior, Burenn oflndian Affairs, lndinn Entitic.< Rcr:ognizcd :ond EHgihlc To Receive Scr.icos 

From thu United Stat~slluruau or lndi~n Afl~i~. S2 Fed. :Reg. 4.9!5 10 4,920 (Jan. 17. 20l7l (li~1ing federally 

n:C<Igni>ed tribes nnd Alnska Nruivc vlltngos). 

" Sec The Whit~ Hou.w. Presidential Pmdumati<m Modifyiog the Bears Ears National Monum~nl (Dee. 4. 20171. n••nil~bl~ ar ffiW><:!Iwww.whilolmu"'.""v/p=idcnlbl-:~otirn•@=idunti:.t-pmd:lln:ounn-mnd•t"yinu-hoar&-elm<­

notionol-monumcu!l 

" Soo NARF, Protcctill!l Bcun. Eur,; Nutimml Munum~nt. nl'llilnble III Jmndlwww.nurf.nrolcn>c>lnrl'tccllnu-lx;:LiocnT<-nmlonnl-m~nnononll (providing •n ovol"l'i<>w of H•u• E'U'S •nd ~ copy of tho Complotn< nt"d by NARI' on 

bclmlf of the !rib<;;> to stop lhc Adminislrutiou's uulawful pro'lam•liunJ, 

" Soo NARF, Trump Sign• Pro,;idl!!lliul Mcmoromta I<> ne,-;,.., Doknta A~om<< and Kc~.<\nno XL l'ipotino,; (Jon 25, 

20 t 7). n>'llilnble n1 httP.<:i/www. n ' rf org/!ru mp., i o ns· prc.,kl o nl j •[-me nwmnd a.,..,...; yc-dokotn-flCC""'"kov"nne · •I-

-
31 


214b4.eps

toml of 2,800 Native voters in four stmes completed the in-person survey.'$ In all Four states, 

Nntive voters expre.~sed the grentest tru~t in their Tribal Governments. Although the federJl 

government was identified by respondents as the most trusted of non-tribal gcvernmo;niS (fcdcnd, 

state, local}, the level of trust ranged from a high of just 28 percent in Nevada to a low of only 

16.3 perc em in South Dakota. 16 Those negmive experiences often deter responses to gowrnmcnt 

inquiries. 

Moreover, even when federol officials eng~ge in outreach to Tribal Government~. their 

<"ngagemenl often lack!; the cultural sensitivity flel.:e:>:~<~ry to be effective. For exa1nplc, m 

NAVRC's Portland field lm;1ring on l.hu slate of voting rights in Indian Country, a member of the 

Yakam;t Tribe c;~.plaincd the impact of having non-N<~tive tntiners. 17 He atteuded n Census 

meeting ill which a non-Native traiucr purported to explain to the Native enumerators what steps 

they needed tn lllke to he culturally appropriate for their interactions with Native respondents. 

11te Yakama tribal member walked out of the mteting while it was still in progress. When 

another attendee asked why. he responded that it was inappropriate for u non-Native person to 

tell him <~bout his own Native culture. Another perva:sive exampl~ of the lack of s<Jnsitivity 

occurs when federal officials show up on tribal hmds, un3nnounccd and without an invit;ttion 

from the Tribal Government. 

Geogropl!ical iso/atUm mrd incfcmerrt weatlwrconditiOizs: 

Geography is a difficult barrier for the Census to overcome in its enumeration cfforu; in 

Indian Country. 

AJ•proximately oue-third of the !Qtal AlAN populatitm lil'es iu Hnrd-to-Co/1/ZI Cell sus 

1'r«cts- roughly 1.7 million out or 5.3 million people from the 2011-2015 American Community 

Survey (ACS) cstimates.1

s Hru:d-to-Count Censu~ Tracts include those Census Tracts "in the 

bottom 20 percent of 2010 Cen.~u~ M<~il ~etum ~ales (i.e. Mail ~ctum ~ales or 73 percent or 

less) or tracts for which n mail return rate is not applicable because they are enumerated in 2010 

using the ~pe~ial Upl.latc/Enumer.!tc method."t9 The ~1<1\e~ with the grcate.<t pcrcentagll or the 

ll See 111e Native Ameritan Voling Rights Co•lition, Survey Researth Report: Vmint: Barricrn En<:<lunterod hy 

Nntivc Amcri>UIIO in Ari<unn, N•w M•xi~u, N~:vada ;u1d Su~th llakuta 8. 38,67 (Jlln. :W!S) ("NAVRC Report''), 

Ql'Gi/uhl• ar hllp<11www.narf.orolv.mdp""<lwp-mmcmlup'oarl.t20 tRIO t/0011 NA V RC•urvcv-rus'!.!lli,ml[. The 

Executive Summary of Iho NAVRC Report i1 available 1.1 htwdl•vww.narf.orWwnrdpru•<lwncn,tcnrluptoad.oJ?Ot!!IOt/20t7NAVRC_,urvo\~,,mmarv.ndf, The •urvcy ruspondcul• included 644 Noli•c vutc.--s in 

Arizona, 1,052 In Ncvoda. 602 in New Mc>ko. ond 302ln S""1h Da\:111<1- NAVRC Rcport.supr<l, a1 8, ~8. 67. 

10 Sl!l! t-:AVRC Rcpon, snpr~ """' 15, ut t5, 45, 77, tt t. Rl:•pondcnl• wcru "'~od, "Which J;('•cmnl\Onl d~ yvu 

m•st most to protect your nghts'!' !d. m 15, 45, 7~-77. Among responde Ills m tho othor two <tales, 22.1 pcn:cnl 

id<Jntificd tho fedora\ govonuncnt in Ario;ono ond 27.4 percent idomilicd the federal government in Now Mcxi•"-

Sooi</.m77,ltt. 

11 Fnr m11rc information ol>oul the NAVRC's lictd hearing<, ""'NARF, Voling ll.igh1>o Hm.-in!\><, uwrilub!• ul 

hltp<:l/www.n•rf.org/vnti"e-rights-hoorin~<l. 

" &.-The lc•~cr>llip Confrn:u~~ E<luc~tion Fund. Tublc lu:Stuto.:.~ Runkcd by Number of Amoricon lndinnf,\lnslm 

Nnlive.< (raoo alooc or oombinotion) living in H""l-to-Cnunt (l-11'Ct Cc'"'"' Thu:ts, m<ui!able at 

httr :1/o ivi lri • ht "I~« . i n f~lpdf/cc "'" <12020/l'al>lc I n~~ t ' 1cs-N n n•hcr-AI 1\N -1-JTr. p<!f. 

" /d. 
32 


214b5.eps

AlAN papulation in Hard-to-Count Census Tracts reside in the western states: New MexiGo 

(78.6 percent), Arizona (68.1 percent), and Al~~ka (65.6 percent).2u Geographical isolation plays 

one of tho mast significant rc~sans for why !bose states h~vc such a large pcrccutagc of their 

ATAN populalion in Hard-to-Count nreas. 

Alaska p=nts a particularly compelling cxmnplc of how geographical harriers impact 

accurate enumerution. The logical smrting point for thnt example is to illustrate the sheer size of 

the largest state: 

Figure I. Compnrisun oftheSi~e of Alru;ku to tbe Continental United St~tes. 

Despite its size, the rural nrens of Alaska generally are very sparsely populated. As an 

example, NARF" \Jrought a votiHg rights action on bchnlf of the lnt-gc:.t gronp of Yup'ik-~peaking 

Alaska Natives: those residing in villages in the Bethel Census Area. The Bethel Census Area 

coven; Hn arc~ of ovGr40.5 million squ!ITC milcs 11 or roughly the si)'.c or the stale ofTcnncssee.22 

"' S•c The L:w.kr:ohip Conference Educo~un Fund. Table lb: Sla\C• R1u1kcd by Percent uf Amcri'-"lll lmlinn/Alnskn 

Nmi<'"-' (rnc:c alone or ecmhinmion) living in Hnnl-to-Ccnnl (H'fC) Census Trncl<, available n1 

hur:f/dvilrirh"rloc<.inf<>!prlflcon<niflfl2[)f]""hlc I h-Stat~<-PcrconHI T AN-l!Tf'.pdf. 

'' U.S. Ce""us Bureau, Qnicki':Icts: !Jethel Consns Arc•. Alaska {""HCA QuickFacts""). a><~ilabl~ ill 

hi tp <:l/www.ocn "" . oo •·lg 111 o~ l"ll«slfao! I<Oh lo>lltcl he Ire nsu '""'""In<~ (I{PST04 ~ 2 1 f•. 

'' See U.S. Ccns11s Bureau, Qui<kl'acl.: Tennessee ("rcunc'-""' Qnkkl'act,'"), aval/a/Jic t11 

hi'P<"I/WWW.OOil<lt<.M\"/quickr"ets/TN, 
33 


214b6.eps

However, in 2016, the Bethel Census Area lmd a total estimated poptllntion or just 17,968, n 

populution dcnsit~ of just 0.4 persons per square. mil~.l.l 

Nearly all of rurul Aluska, which is dominnt~d by Alaska Nati\'C communities, is 1101 on 

the .1tute road ~ystcm. Access to those communities is typicall~ by air or by boat. In the wiTtier 

months, when tile conditions permit. villa;:c~ also t*ly be coun~ctcd by "icc road~." which are 

traversed by snowmobile or ATVs that trdvcl on f:o7.cn rivers. For communities that are not 

regional "hubs" like Bethel and Dillingham. air services are pravidcd by "bush pilots" who usc 

runways lh~t arc little more than gravel roads. Fligltts are limited to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) 

couditions whcn Lhe rough-heWll runways are not iced over. 

Because of the limited accessibility to over 200 gcogmphically isolated mral and Alaska 

Notive communities, travel is much more constmin~d by the dominant weather conditions Limn 

an~ other locution in the continental UnitOO Sta-.e~. It is not unusual for vmages to be 

inaccessible by air for sever.ll weeks due to inclem:nt wenther, icing conditions, and above all 

fog. During the Alaska voting rights litigation in which [ have ~~rv~d as ro-counscl. [ have 

experienced these eottditions first-hand. Flights lmvc been cancelled or delayed even under the 

best weatiJcr conditions. when the fog may lingcr htte into the day. 

Googr;1phy and W<-'athcr have a tremendous impact on the mail service, which historically 

lm~ phtycd a key role in Census enumemtion efforts. The extraordinary efforts that postal 

workrn:s make to deliver mail to isolated Alaska Native villages arc truly commendable. Out 

rural Alaska may be one of the few places in the world in which the immortal word~ or 

Herodotus do not olways ring true: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor hen!, nor gloom of night, stays 

these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rout\d~." Unpredictable wemhcr 

conditions in the outer roaches of Alaska always ha"': Lhe final say in the delivery and pick"UP of 

mail, including Lhe critical communic:ttions being sent by the Census Eurcau regarding hs 

enumcmtion ami data-gathering progr;1ms. 

While the geogr~phic-,d challen.gcs to reaching the AlAN population in Alaska con be 

extreme, Lhcy ~ro not unique to Alasku. Tho Havasupai Indian Reservation in Arizona, which is 

loc;ttcd <1l Lhe bottom of the Grand Canyon, i~ among the nation's most isolated reservations. 

The Red lake Indian Reservation in northwestern Minnesota, which has the state's scoond 

largest AlAN p~>pulation. is scpar.ttcd from much of the rest or the stute. Many reservations are 

located far from urban areas md are connected (if at all) by roads tbat arc so.1ccptible to 

changin}l weather conditions.'~ Unpaved and poor driving conditions add to the isolation thm is 

pan of the daily lives ofmnch of the AlAN populntion residing on rural reservations. 

" Sea llCA Qulckl'act;, tupm note 21. Th~t ~om~nrcs to a population den;it~ of tS3.9 por.'l<lns per squorc mile in 

Tonuosso«. SeeT"nne,<m QukkFac!l;, .mpm nnto 2:>. 

" Sec &OIIera/ly Ros:mda SuCIOpka, We! Wealil<'r Wroaks H<1WJO oil R-. Bus Rmllcz, NAVAJO-HOI'! 0DSERVIID. 

(Dec. 16, 20!4]{"Rtmd conditions nn bnth N•wnjo nnd Hopi r<:'»l'VJiion• bocomc cxtretnoly tricky and d:utgcmus In 

tho wintonlmc c.wsing e:<pen.'i"c ropnir work on pcr:~onul nnd '"huol v<=hi•l•'· Th• ••hi•l"" tm'o'\:1 u•or dooply mudruned ond ttol-holcd rood>. whit:h l•ov~ been d•n"~od by >ntlw nnd rain, rui"in~ :md dam:!fting wheel "li!;"me"t ""d 

lire<."], awtf!I!We at htlp<:llwww.ntlnnows.cnnlltl~'W.<I20t41dcd1 (J-.,,t·wca[hor -wrcok.,·lta'·oo-ntHI"·tm•-mutcV 
34 


214b7.eps

Non-traditional mailing addresses and lwurelesstrcss: 

TilC 2015 National Content Test (NCT) Report illustrotcs the many challenges the Census 

Bureau and other fedeml agencies face in the nccurnte enumeration of the AlAN populmion. ~ 

Among aU of tfle f>Opulation groups included in tile 2015 NCT, the AlAN population 

experienced tire lowest 2010 Census mail rcspome rate, at 57,8 percent. 26 The Jack of m;riling 

addresses for m~ny Native peoples on tribullands had an impact on how the 2015 NCT Wl\8 

conducted in Indian Country. As the Cen~re:; Bureau ~~plaincd, itF: n::port "includes only selfresponders in areas with relatively high mldrc.~s mailability. Recall thnt the 2015 NCT did not 

include a Nonre.sponsc Followup operation or rmy enumemtion of nreas with high concentmtions 

of nonmailable addresses.'m Although this was a significant limit:ltion of the 2015 NCT, it 

offers an accurate representation of the cb~llenge~ in counting many AlAN pcr.lons ami 

hou~chold~. 

Two eontributing factors to low mail response rates in Indian Country arc hrck or 

traditional mailing addrcssc3 ami homclcssncS3. 

Non-tmditionnl mailing addrl!!t~es are prevalent among Amerkan Indians and Alnsk~ 

Natives residing on tribal lands. Non-traditional mailing addresses encompa~s "noncity-stylc 

addresses, which the Census Bureau defines as those that do not contain a hous~ number and/or a 

~tree! name."Js E11:amples of non city-style mailing uddres~e~ indu<Jc: 

General delivery 

Rural route and b(l;o: number 

Highw;ry contrdcL route and box number 

Post office bo;>; only delivery 

Noncity-style addresses used by the C~us Bureau also include location 

descriptions such as "BRICK HOUSE with ATTACI-lED GARAGE ON 

RIGI-IT," structure points {geographic coordinates), and census geographic 

codes including stale code, county carle, census tmct number, uml census 

block number. 

It is commonplace for homes on tribal lands Lo ose nondty-slyle muilin~,; addrc=s. 

Many homes can only be identified by a seo~,;rdphic loc<rlion (<:.g., ''ho~an IOCH(Cd three miles 

1$ Set: U.S. Census Bure~u. 2015 N~tion:U Content Test R~ro ond Ethniciry An•lysis Ropon Web. 2B, 2017) r'NCT 

Report"). 

" JJ. ur32,1lllllc 2. 

l1 /tL Ul 58. 

" U.S. Cc.,-,>us Bun:'~u. 

~ecommonil:ulons 2 

2020 Con•u• L<>o•l Upd•t~ of Co"'"' Addrc>= Pru~;rwn Improvement Projcol 

(Apr. !3, 2015) f'21J20 LUCA HcCilmrneudolion<"), tmrilalllo al 

lmu,Jiw .,.. w2.cc '" u '-" o> /oeol pdfsll' "' '" , , ,1 , ; n.J202G lu c " "c" m "'" L<<IOJ ;o n ·" d r 

.. fiJ. 
35 


214b8.eps

down dirt road from Hardrock Chapter Hou~e"), Cthurs may be located by rcfcrcncC! ton BIA, 

state, or county road mile marker (e.g., "the house locatcli on the right ~ide or BIA-41 between 

highway m;u:kur 17 and highway nmrkcr 18") or intersection (c.s .. th" h(m~e at the intersection 

of BIA-41 nnd BIA-15"), Additionnlly, mnilboxe~ may he on the side of the road far from where 

the home{~) n~sociated with them are located, witll the mailbox identified only by a General 

Delivery number, Rurnl Route, or box number. Many AlAN residents of tribal land~ only 

receive their mnll by post oftkc box. Often, seveml families or generations of a ~inglc fatnily 

might share a post office or general delivery box to get their mail. 

At the NA VRC field hearings on voting rights, several AlAN witm:~~cs have testified 

about how their use of a non-traditional mailing adCress ha~ either ma<Jc it difficult to register to 

vote or has di~~nfranchi~cd them altogether. This testimony has been consistent throughout 

Indian Country, regardless of the location of the tribal hmds: 

At the Bismarck, North Dakota field .1earing. :m clcctc<J ~ounty official 

tCiltilicd that many voters I'Cl!i<.ling on the Crow Creek Indian 

RCilCrVltlion in Buffalo County, Sc-uth Dukota have had dift1culty 

registering to vote bcransc of non-tr~ditionnl addressee<:. That problem 

persisted even after effort~ were undermken to identify physic:tl 

addre.;ses to use in the County's 9\l"emergency notification sy~tcm. 

• At the Portland. Oregon field hearbg, voters from the Colville an<J 

Y~kama Re~ervation~ in eastern Wa:iliington State tcsti!1cd thm many 

tribal members were unable to register to vote to receive their ballot by 

mail for ~talc dcction:; becaus~ they <mly lm<J post office boxes 

available that cDnld not be readily con..,lnted with a physkal address 

where they actually lived. 

• At the San Diego licld hearing, a member of the Torrez Muninez 

Dc~crt Cahuilla Indian, located just west of the Salton So~ in 

California, did not have a traditional mailing address and wa~ only 

able to vole because of lhe timdy inlcrvcntion of a family friend who 

was running for office and was able to get a waiver of the registration 

requirement for a phy~ical ~ddress. 

NARF is currently litigating this very issu!l iu North Dakota,30 where the state l!lgislature enacted 

a restrictive voter identification law that require:; that accL'Plablc identification cmds must 

cont;lin a registrant's rcsi<Jcntial address- which most tribal members living on tribal lands <Jo 

not have because of their usc of 11011-traditionnl mailing addres~re~.JI The same barriers that 

AlAN person~ with non-traditional mailing addre:!lle.; experience in attempting to register to vote 

mal..-c it dift1cult for them to be identified by Census enumerators. 

'" See Bmkcbt/1 1'. J<leg<"r, Chi! AcliPn N~. 1:16-c<·-OnOCll!·DL!!-CSM (Am. Compl. r.tocl D"c. l~. 201/). 

" Soc NARF. Brakcl>ill. Cl ~l. v.Jacger (NO Voter ID U.w), rrw1U~hr" at hnp<:l/www.norfm•lca<e<lnd-wuo ... id/. 
36 


214b9.eps

The disproportionately high rate of homelelsness in lndi<~n Country is nnother major 

fuctor contributing to low mailing rcspo!!Se mtcs nmong the AlAN populution. According to the 

2016 ACS, only 52.9 percent of single-race Americnn Indian and Alaska Nutive householders 

owned thcir own home, compared to 63.1 percent of the Lotul popubtion.n According to d;~t;t 

from the U.S. Department of Housing ~nd Urban Development, although "only 1.2 percent oftbe 

n<~tion<~l population sclf~identifies as AIJAN ... 4.0 percent of all sheltered homeless persons, 4.0 

percent of all sheltered homeless individuuls, und 4.8 percent of all sheltered homeless families 

self-identify >IS Native American or Alm>ka Native."3J The ArAN popul~tion liko.:wise 

experiences higher rmes of homelessness among vetemns than other population groups. 

Specifically, ''2.5 percent of sheltered, homeless Veterans were Americ~n Indian or Alaska 

Native, nlthough only 0.7 percent of all Veterans are AmeriGan Indian or AlnRkn Nalive.''34 

Homdcssness takes sGvcrnl forms in Indian Country. Witnesses at the NA VRC field 

hearings in Portland arJd San Diego testified thm it is common for younger AlAN persmt~ to 

fmqu~ntly ch"nee re."irl~m:r:. ThnS<l pmr.tir.e~ r.an vary from "cr~shing on a nmrh" of a fri~.nd or 

clas~mate, to temporarily sleeping at a relative's house when they arc on the rcscrvmion. 

According to the 2016 ACS, appro~:imately 15.5 percent of the AlAN population was residing in 

o different house than the om: they rcport~d a year ~arli~r. 55 Frcqu~ntly ch;mging residences, 

with no single ~ennanent residence. cau make many American Indians and Alaska Natives 

harder to Iocnte. 6 

The top five loeationR with the largest number of AlAN people living in Hurtl-W-Count 

Census Tracts are all in urban areas: New York City (44,760 people); Phoenix (21.398 pcoplel; 

Oklahoma City (19,826 people); Los Angeles (19,056 pcopl<l); and Anchorage (14, 151 people). 7 

Similarly, the top t1vc locations with the large.~t percentage or AlAN people li~ing in Hard-toCount Census TraGts are in large cities: Newark (97.5 percent); Jersey City (94.7 percent); New 

Orleans (86.9 perccm): Bnffalo (82.2 percent): an<i Parudi:re COP, part or nnincorpora\Jld Las 

" 2017 AlA."! Summory. >ropm ~olo 7. 

" Subst:mco Abuse M<l Momnl Health Services Ao.l.minislmliuo (SAMHSAJ, E<pcrt Pond un Humdos""·'-'·' omun~ 

American Indians, Aln;h Nutivc>. ""~ N•ti>~ Haw~iian> S (2012]. avail~bf<o m 

~llndlwww usiclt go•!ro<oun:c:;/nol!lnd,;/n.~<ol librnrylbpcrl l'lmcl on Hunoclc"'n"" unHm• Amorio•n lmhm" 

'k2C Alo>kOI Nmjvr;!\%2C nml N"'jyc llawnii•ns,ndf. 

"ld. nt 8 (citing HUD & VA. Vclcrm1 HumckS>n'"'" A Supplomcu~ll Rcpon tu the 2UIU A.unualllumclo"" 

A'''"""""' RcpDrllu Cnngm,.). 

" Se~ U.S. Co:niUJ Bun:au, 2016 Am<:ricun Community Survc~ l-Ye"' Estim•u:s. Solcctod l'opulillion i'rolilc in tho 

United Stole-:;: Am<:ricnn lndinn and Alash Nntivc •ton~ (300, A01.Z99) ("2016 AlAN Profile"), m•ailohlr ar 

hllp•:llf:<otfludeJ" .ccn<t".~ov/f:occ<lloblc.<erviC<".<f!<fl~mdLtOJVIOW.Xhlml"'<rt:"hkm~. 

,. U.S. Doportnuml af lin<llling nnd Urtmn Devolopm•nt, "lloLL<ing Neods nf Amoricon ludi:ons and Ala<ta Natives 

in Tribal Arcru: A R"f'mt From tho AAAossmcm of A merit an l1di~n, AIMka Native. nnd Nmivc llawaii•n llollsing 

Needs (Jan. 2017). ilmllable m hlln<1fwww.hndu.;er.~nvfnnnoll<ioo<ldera"ltlfile<lndfiHN.\IHon<ineNo<>d<.ndr. 

" Sc• The Lc"d"rship Confe:n:m:c Educmion Fund, Table 21: L:lr~cst l'lru:o. R•nked by Numb" nf Amcr!oan 

lndian/Al•skn Nnli>"-> (moe ~lone or oomhinmion) living in Hord-to·Cmont (I lTC) r-ensu• Trnct.'<, a>•a!/(11>/~ m 

h np :1/civijri gh l*~loc• ju fulmiflre nmc<J202J!fl' ah le2a-I lXI-L?rgcSl-l'lace•-N un>bo r-A IAN -IHC .pdl: 
37 


214b10.eps

Vugas (67.5 perwn\),11 Urban Indians oftc:n reside in Hard-to-Count Census Tracts because of 

depressed socio-economic clmractcrislics, which tl:"y share in r:ommon with other pOpltlalion 

gronps residing in tho.~e Troets.l9 

Socio-eccmrmzic bcrrriers: 

Socio-e<:onomic barriers likewise make the AlAN populiltion har~cr for cnumcn110rs to 

reach. Native peoples have the highest poverty rate of anytfopulation group, 26.6 pcrc<l!lt. which 

is nemiy douhle the poverty mte of the nation as a wholc.4 11te poverty rate was even h~her on 

fedcral!y recognized Indian reservation~ and Aln.~Ka Native villages, at 38.3 percent. The 

median household income of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native households in 2016 

was S39,719, far below the national median hou~hdd income of$57.617:'~ 

The AlAN population also hn.~ lower rates of educntional attaimncnt, which impacts their 

participation in the Census. Among the J\IAN population 25 years of age and older, 20.1 percent 

hatllcss than u high ~chool ctlucation.~3 The unemployment rate of those aged 16 ~nd older in 

the workforce was 12 pcrccnt.44 Approximately 19.2 pcrctmt lacked heulth insumncc, 4

' antl13.4 

percent of all occupied households lacked access to.~ vcliiclc. ~ 

Age: 

Younger populations typically are harder to count thJn older popul~tion~ in the Census. 

To illustmte that fact, in the 20!0 Census, the net untlcrcount for yotmg children w•1s 4.6 

percent. 47 very close to I he nnder<:ount rate of approximately 4.9 pcrcclll for American lndinns 

"" s,.., 1'he L...oder.dtir> Conlorcnco F.duootion F~nd. 1'oblo 2b: Lrugo.•l Plooo.> Rooked b~ Poroenl ~~ Amcricon 

lndi•n!Alo.ska Natives (rnoc nlono or Ollruhinauon) Jiyfng 1~: Hnrd-ln-Cmml (HTC) Ccn•u• 'frocffi, <JM!Inble ar 

1mn:l/c i vilrigl>tll<ir.c.> .lnfnlp dlfc"nstl<i;ll!20rr oh!~2h . 1 11!1-l ""'""~ -P l"""'' Pcn:cn\ -AlliN-H TC.oo lf_ 

)'l Frn- an c•tollcm article do.>eriblng I he ch•llcnsc• f""c.' by urb~n lndl~n< . . <ee lo" Whlulc. Mosr Nurivo Am.,kt!M 

Li1·~ i11 Cirie,·, No/ Rm·n~tions. Horr:urc ThdrSzor/es. TilE OUARDIAN(U.S.EDITlO.~) tS~'PI.4, 2017). m•nilnblc at 

hnr>;//www !hoguardj;ro opmlus-now/20l2hop/P41mlliiO·omoric.1n,-.trric<·cnltlomio. 

"" U.S. Consu• Burenu, Profile America l'aoz• For Rloluros: Cll16-FF.22, American ln!linn on1l Alnsk~ Nmive 

.<1atl<t1C.<, at•ai/a/1/o m h1tp•:llwww.ccn<u<.e<>''I\1CW,noomlfam-for-fcaturcsi:O llilciJ t (,.ff22.h!ml !Nov, 2. 201 G) 

("20JG AlAN FFF'). 

" U.S. Census llureau, Toblo ll!700!C: S<ll•ctcd Porulmion Profile in 1hc Unlle\1 Slmo<· 

Communily Sur1ey 1-Yenr &timnlos Clast ''is-ted ou r-eb. 7. 2013). 

hUtJ,S,ljfllCifln~cr.oon>u;.•rv/hkmkl<ahlclt.lllcn/ACS/l5 I YRIR 1700 IC/0 I QOOOat l~lfll !HK~~<JUS. 

" 2017 AlAN Summary, ;upm nolo 7. 

" SeeWl~ AlAN Pmfilo, ,fupmnotc 35. 

"' ld. 

" ld . 

.. !d. 

2Ul5 Amclican 

unnluble m 

" So. U.S. Census Bureau, Dooonniol Slotistic,; Swdios Di•lsion.lnvoslig~ling tho 2010 Undcrooum of Young 

Chil~o<lll - A New Luok al 2010 C•n•us OmL>•ioo.• b~ Age l (July 2G, 2016). umllai>l• ar I>Ur•:.'twww;>,com;m gmtnrngrnmNU!Ycy!lltleconntaii~O;;wnmgram-tnona.."t!men!fmomn->cri<Wl\IZU·rennrt-ZUl 11-

\ '"d orco\\ n1 -chit ~ren-o m m ;, •in n ,_pdf 
38 


214c1.eps

and Alaska Natives residing on tribo11nnd~.41 Among all American Indians and Ala~ka Natives, 

the medinn nge is over five years younger than the median age for the tom! populntion.''9 For 

Americ:m Indians and Alaska Nmives Jiving on rcscrvmions or in Alaska Nutive villages, the 

difference in median age with the total population is nearly nine ycms.l~ 

According to the 2016 ACS, 27.4 percent of all American Indians and Alaska Nlltives :~re 

under 18 years ofage.~ 1 Approximately one-third of the AlAN population under 18 years or age, 

33.8 percent, is below the poverty line.~ 2 The depressed socio-economic status of some of these 

children makes it harder to obtain an accurate count of them in the Census. 

Language barriers and illileracy among LEP Trihal Eld~n;; 

Dozens of different dialects nre widely spoken among the major AlAN languages. Ovet" 

n quarter of all single-mce American Indian and Alaska Natives speak a lauguage other than 

English at home.n Two-thirds of all speaker~ of Amcric<m Indi~n or Abska Native l:mguagcs 

rcsido.< on a N~o.:rvation or in~ Native villagc,l~ including many who arc linguistically isolated, 

have limited English ski11s, or a high rate of illitemcy." 

Nationully, 357,409 ALAN persons reside in a jurisdiction covered by Section 203 or the 

Voting Rights Act, where nssistnn'X must be provided in the covered Natil'l' langu~gc.lr. Alaska 

Native language assi~tancc is required in 15 political subdivision~ of Ala.~ka, which "is an 

increase of 8 political subdiv!~ioru; from 2011." 57 Assistauoo in American Indian languages is 

required iu 35 political subdiv!sioru; in nine slates, "np from the 33 political :;robdivisions of five 

states covered in the 2011 dctcrminations."51l 

_,. Soo snpm nato 9. 

" Cnm{Ulre U.S. Ccm<l" Bunmu, Tobie HOHI02C: Mcdi•n /4lc by So~ (Amoriooa lndir.n ond 1\]a,ka Nmivo) 

(Amcrlcan Indian •nd Alaska Nntive mc<lian a!i,o of 325 yc=;), rnnilable «I 

htlpS"IIfo<lfinderoonsus.oovlhkntkftobtoll.llkniACSII5 lYRIBOlOO~C. witll U.S. CensttS Bureau, T~hlc 50101' 

Age and Sox (""'dian ago of 3?.S ~"''"' for the tulnl populntion), m·llilrl/1/t• ~~ 

hur.:lll\\etfintlcr.ccnsll<.!lf"'/11~mklt•hloll JVcniAt:Sit.'> 1 YlliSD 10 t_ 

" St-e U.S. Ccn~ts Rnr~mt, American Factl~ndcr, nhto B!ll!Hl2C, Median Ago by So> (American Indian ~nd 

Alaskn Na~vc), Amcricon lndinn Roscnotion rutd Trust Land, 2016 ACS ]. Year Estlmows (28.8 y¢,1rs), amil~bl~ at 

!illr.dlfactfimlcr.ocn•u~e"nv/11kmk/tabt<:l J .Okn/ACS/15 t YRIBO J002CJOtOOOOOUSI010001!2US 

" See20t6 t\11\N Promo . .rupm note 35. 

, M. 

" 201 6 AlAN FFF. supra note 40 (2? pcrn'ltt~ 

" X•e U.S. Ccto.u• Bureau, Native Auu:ric.n l.nnguogc.• Sttokcn at Hon~~; in the U11itod State.< and Puerto Ricu: 

2001).20\0 at2 (Dec. 20tl). 

" So~ U.S. Census Bu~u. Public Usc O"t.1 File for tltc 2016 Dotorrninmions under Scctlon 203 of tllo Vollng 

Righi• Ac~ ~•~il~/;/c ~I h!Jp.:f!wwwqm>u>-!l!l''lrdu!d:t~~"lling right< dctcrminuti<>n fllc.hlml (Dec. 5, 20lG]. 

" U.S. Ccnsu:s Burcnu, P=• Rclcnse: Ccn.>us Bure•u Relea<c• 201~ Dcwrunnutiotc' for So>ction 203 ar tbc VOling 

Right' Act (Doc. 5, 20t6), n•~llnl>l' m httn.:/lwww.ccnsus.gm1n•w.<mgmlrm"·relc•*'lif20lfi!t:hlfi·2D5.1llln1. 

" AAJC, NALEO & NARF, Voling Righi' At:! Cnwragc Updmc J (Doc. 2016) ("Scoti<m 203 Uptime"), ~vt1il~b/e 

ul hit r• :1/nd V\Utci ng just icc-nnjc .oa;is itos!defou 11/fi l c .no t r •• l 'I Se c 1 ion ~ 20 2 OJ<Jl. 20Covemgc'.~ 201 1r1111 •• . pd r. 

" Jd. 
39 


214c2.eps

Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico have th Jaq;c5t number of Limited-English Proficient 

(LEP) persons voting-age citizens (that is, U.S. citizens who are 18 yc~r5 of a~;e ~ml older). 

Between them, they account for approximately 87 percent of nil Amcricnn Tndinns nnd Alaska 

Nalivc:~ who rc5ido in an ;m;a rcqui«:d to provi<iv hmguagc "~i;..tuncc in an Alaska Nntivc or 

Americun Indian lnngunge: 

Figuro 2. Con1pn1·ison Bctwoon the Tap Throo Stoles with Limited-English Pr~licient ,\EAN Populn!fons. 

).i· -' ; ~)' ; .. 

't: 

54.275 i\l .. k• Natives live in 

nne nf the 15 ""'"' cnvcrcd hy 

Section 203 for on Alaska 

Nn~vc truoguagc. 

Atleru;t IG percent of all Alosb 

Native< in ""vcrud ""'"' aru nf 

voling age an~ LEP in an Al<t<~~~ 

Notivclllllg""JlC. 

LEP Al"'kol NatiV<K nrc l<J<.'>lte~ 

iu Ujlpru..Jmutcl~ 200 villages 

and communilios in the IS 

coi'Cred nrcru;. 

'• ... ~ <' 

123,470 American lndi'"' live in 

one nf thc 'i" cnuntic.' c<>VCrcd hy 

Section 203 for nn ALllcricnn l•Hiinn 

longuagc. 

AI lo:1st 14.5 porcen! of •II 

Amorio;m lndhm.< in <.:<tVC'md """"' 

""' or mling •go •ml LEI' in an 

Arueriowllnilllul lWlJOULIJlC. 

Appro..Jmutcly 96.7 percent nf nil 

Am,riollil ln~iono whu nn: LEP llnd 

reside in a coun•y covered for 

Native lan&'·'"!:" "'~""nee rosllk lu 

ju•t thruc """"'""' Ap,.ho, 

Cucunino, ""d Nn.,..ju. 

·'-' 

132.955 Amerk;m Indian> live 

in one of 1ho 10 """"t'"' 

cp.orcd hy Se<tion 103 fnr an 

AmcricruL lndinn bnguogc. 

At le"'t 8 percent of all 

Americ'lliL ludi,mK in Ou\'Crcd 

nru"-' ;rn: nf vmiug ngc ont! LEP 

in"" Amcricun lndiun l•ng<~age. 

9t.l pon:<:nt uf ull Aoncricruo 

ludinns ruotl 89.3 pcrco!LI of nil 

\'O!Ing-ago American Indians 

who arc LtlP and live in a 

cnv,rcd wunty live iu just four 

ColHLli". Bcrnnllllo, McKinley, 

S"ndoval, ~n<l Son J1mn. 

Ltngu>~ge po~c& a burrier lo ~u<::ce~~rul ffiumerJtion for ~~v~rJl n:JsllnH. First, LEI' 

American Indians and Al~ska Natives, like other LEP populations. <lre .gencmlly among th~ 

harde~tto reneh within the Hard-to-Count population. Omrench and publicily communicntion.l 

written or transmitted in English usually me not understood uulcss they arc translated into the 

appli~able Native language. In-person commur.kation through trained bilingual cnumerator.1 

yields the best remits, but can be confounded by the lnck of enumerators fluent in the language, 

gcogrnplly, and Hdcquatc funding to reach the LEr population. 

Moreover, the difficulty in preparing complete, accurate, and uniform translations of 

survey tools (including instmctions and questions) is componndcd by the absence of words in 

Native languages fur m;my Engli~ll term~. Frcqu~ntly, that requires lh<lt concepts be tran~latcd to 

communicate the meaning of what is being asked, rather than word-for-word tmnslalions. 

Identification of those can~pts usually require.~ do:rely coordinating with trained linguists from 

Nmivc communities to provide effm:livc translJtions. It simply is not possible for Federal 

agcnci<ll; to usc a "one-sizl)-fit5-all" approach in creating and usin:,; survey instrumcnt5 in Indi;w 

Country, including !he Census cnumcra\ion. 

illiteracy also is very prev~lent among LEP Ametic~n Indians and Alusku Natives, 

espe~ially among 'l'ribal J:!lders. In mens covered hy Section 203 of \he Voting Righ\s Act, 
40 


214c3.eps

illilcr-.tcy among LEP voting-~gc citi7.cns is many times higher tlmn the naliontll illiteracy rate of 

1.31 percent in 20!6.l9 

In Alaska, in covcr~d areas for which Census data L~ available. the illiteracy rate among 

LEP Alaska Natives of voting age is 40 percent for Aleut-~peake:rs, 28.4 p~-rwnt for Alh~bascan­

~pcakcrs, 15 percent ror Yup'ik-spcakcrl>, <tnd 8.2 pcn.:cnt for Inupiat-l\pcakcrs.00 In Arizona. in 

covered area~ for whkh Censu~ data is available, the illiteracy rmc among LEP American 

Indians of voting age is 25 pcrcent for Navajo-speakers and 6.8 percent for Apache-speakc!1>.61 

In Mississippi, in covered areas for which Census data is av3ilable. the illiteracy rate amoug LEP 

American Indians of voting age is 34 percent for Chocruw-speukers.6' Finolly, in New Mexico, 

in covered areas for which Census data is nvnilable, the illil;emcy rate among LEP American 

Indians of voting age is 19.1 percent for N:wajo-speukers and 6.7 percent for Apache-speakers: 

data was not ~vailablc for spcakru-s of the Pueblo languagcs.63 

In 3re3s with LEP Tribal Elders who <tre hampru-ed by illiter~cy, enumcntlion ~curu-ally 

muRt be done in-pru-son by a bilingual enumerator fully fluent in the Native language ond 

applicable dialecl 

l..ack ufbroudbrmd ucc~s~· (lf!d lnl~met us~; 

In response to the growing usc of technology among the go;:ncrJI populnlion, Census 2020 

enumeration "will offer the opportunity und cncourugc pecplc to re.~pond via the lnternet ... "6-' 

However, the digital divide is mo.~t profoondly felt among the AlAN population. People residing 

so Sec U.S. Census Bureau, l'!O'I'.'Chm or Howt~e Law Pro;olibes 11\<l Dctermlnotlon or Covered Arens under tho 

Lllnguage Minority Provisio11s or Section 203 of tho Voting Rights AC1. 2 (Dec. 5. 2016), arailablc m 

b!lo.l'l/www.g:!F!u<.gmWI!llndf!? Prs.wribcdl'lowNr~03De)Crmimlljqn< mjC '1llilcnuf ;, Ucfino:d "-' including 

d~ruo po.-.nns who "hove Is'" than a;;'" grade odncotlnn." !d. 

"' Sot! U.S. Ccn5lls Bureau, Vming Rights O.:tormination File: Sccli~n 203 Dot<:rnumuion• (Doc.;;, 20l~).l'ublic 

U,;c Data t'>t" and Tcobntcal Documentminn [E>cot sprcod•lteCI of "Dctornlincd Arc"' Only") ("Sootion 203 

Detornlin:uion :File"), amilab/o at ~llno://www.oen<Oe< env/rdn/<lnm/vntin~ ri~h" <lc1crmin"inn !llo.htmt. In 

Absl:n.the ilUtcrncy rn1c unw!l.!l LEI' voting-ago clt~mns in c(Wctcd areas oomparos 10 the n:uloMl \llllctT.cy rotc of 

1.31 percent"' follows: 30.5 times higher for A\cut-spl!llkers; 21.7 limos higher for Athabo.'CaO·Sp~ilkcrs: 114 

lime~ higher for Yup'ik->pcakc"'; •ml 6.3 lim"-< higlK:r for lrtup""~'l'"'lk""'· Cmll[mr<> id. ,.;,/, >«pm nulc 59 nnt! 

ru:c~mponying te•t. 

" See Sccti~n 203 Dotcrc1inatlon t<,le.supm not• 60, In Ali>onn.ttto illiternoy rntc mnnng LEP V<!linu·agc citi'""" 

in covered "'""' e<~mpares to the lllltiQnol illitcrncy ~· of l.J l percent ns follows: 19.1 tim~s higlwr for Nuv:rjo-

~pcakcnr. ~t!d5.21inJcs hig\tor fur Apad>-~>p<:akcfN. Compare irl. wilh .fl!pm nl>le 59 ;utd uooul\lpanying ~~~\. 

" Su ScctiiJll 203 Dolcrrninalion File, >1<pra nolo 60. In Mi><i.,ippi, the illitcnn:)' nne mnuug LEP volillh"iljlC 

citizens in cove"'d """'-' cnmpare.> to tho notional illltenu:y rnto nf 1.31 percent"'' follows: 25.9 times hll:hor for 

Cltocmw-spc~kcrs. Compnl'<' id. with st<pm now 59 ~nd m:cnmpnnying 10~1. 

oJ S"c Section 203 Dctonnlnallnn l'llo, '"I'"' nntc 611. In N<>W Mexico. the tllirnrru:)' r:llo amon;g LEP voting-age 

cithrons in co,·erod nrens cmnpnre.> tn th• nntiunnl illiterncy mte or 1.31 pCTC<.\m ''" fnllnws: l~.fi tim"s hl~t1or fnr 

Navajo-spt~.'ll;crs: aud 6.7 times higher for Api!Cltc-spcakcrs. c~mparo ill. with'"!"" note 59 nne! uccompanyin~ 

text. 

"' US. Ct:usu1 Buroau. 2020 C~usus Op<:mtianol Plnn: A New Do.<ign for the 21" Century S (vor.<inn 3.0) (Sept. 

20 17). awrilab!o m hnpdJwww1 wn<q> gpv!um"r.rrns-,urv~vs!dereuuialfll):10hrrn"r."n-rn:mog""'""''l'l"11ningdoc"'2tl20-c po r-vl un3 . pdl: 
41 


214c4.eps

in trlb~l '"""~ have virtually no ae<:css 10 computers or the Internet, with the Pcderal Trade 

Commission cstimnting broadband penetration in tribal communities at less than ten percent61 

Not surprisingly, the hardest to count areas for the rum! AlAN population are all on reservation~ 

or in Ala~ka Native villages lacking reliable and nffordnble broadband access. To illustrate that 

fact, a mapping mol shows how Hard-10-Count Census Tmcts correlme with reservations.66 

During Tribal Consulrotions between the Census Buru;lU and tribal members, the Blln~au 

received feedback that "[s]oml' tribes repurtCd that intemct response is CUITently not D viable 

option for members and requested an in-person enumernror - ~pecifically a local, tribal 

person."67 In particular, connectivity was reported to be an i!:Sue "in rural areas including 

Alaska, Navajo Nation, Pueblos [in New Mexico]."118 Even where some broadband Hcce~~ may 

be m•ailable, depressed socio-economic conditions often prevent American Indian.< ~nd Alaska 

Natives from having access to or using online re~ourccs induding the Internet. For example, the 

cost or inconvenienc~ of lhiving to ;1 loc>llion where Internet access can be obtained, or the cost 

of getting luternet service in those areas in Jndinn Coumry where it mny be offered, prevents 

many American Indians and Alaska Nntives from going online.~~ 

TI1e digital divide l.~ aim a generational phenomenon in Indian Country. In NAVRC's 

field hearing in Bismarck, we heard testimony From Montana uibal members who dest:ribed the 

widespread use of the Internet and smart phones by younger tribal members. Simil~rly, the 

Census Bureau was informOO in its Tribal Consultations that while tribes arc increasingly using 

~ocial media to conncct with tribul members, those n:sourcC8 lll'C often not genemlly accessible 

by Trib.1l Elders. For online enumeration, Cen~u.~ was informed that where broadband is 

available, the "younger genemtion will go online and rospond."70 Therefore. any cnumo::nttion of 

tribal lands and those for whom technology is less accessible- particularly Elders - must have 

alternatives !hut account for lack of broadband access amlusc. 

Stnti~ticnl snmpling chrrllcllgeii cmm1d by snmll~r poprtlatiu11s: 

For tho."<C Cen.~u~ programs that rely upon statl.;tical ~ampling methods, sm>tll populations 

in very sparsely populated areas nnd communities are another significant challenge the Census 

Bureau faces in attempting to obtain an accurate count in Indian Country. This issue is most 

prevalent in the ACS and its related products . 

.. Pllrkh\tr.:t ct al., The Digimt Reality: Eo-GD<"Cmmcm and Acccs• 10 T<)ohnDiogy and Jruomct for Amcricun lndion 

.ulll Ala:;ku N~ti"c PQpuloli<ms 3, avaii<Me <It 

!ill~tf.<.!<emantio•ohot.-r.oro/4hh4/!:scfcdt d4,:c342hSd45tltlS24bb tOd9bhO[;!,nUL 

.. S<M Mapping !J•rd 10 Count (H1'C) Comm11nilie:< fnr a Fair and A<euntle 2020 O.:nsu.<, ao"Uih<blc 111 

lmp:l/www.ecnsush>r<llncnunlmap<202n.u<l. 

"' S<e U.S. Cel1~Us Bureau, Oflioo of COlll:f'-"'<lon~1 ami lnl<)IJ:Owrunwnlat Affnm, Poworl'nim 1"""olltatinn, 

Briefing 011 Anu:ricun lndion Alu:.ku Noliv"" 2020 Tribal Con;uhalion Mcelings 10 [May 26. 20t6) ("Trikll 

Cl1 n ;u 1~11 i ons" ) , ami/able ar h u n_U/www2 """"'"'-~nv/o:~e/nnclon .om'" o/2111 5-U5120 1 1•-• lc~'Uldor,ndL 

"'Jd. 

., Soe Gerry Smilh, 011 Tribal Ltvorl.>. Digirul Di•idc Bri11gs Ncn• Fmm of holal<fm. Hm1-l'OST. Apr. 23, 2012, 

UWIIIilhl~ ar hnn.<:ll\wm.huffingmnnn•r.onm/2UI21!1,1flllldognal-<liyillc-1db~l-lnntl' n J40:>!!46,hlml 

" Tribal ConSIIllationt..s"l'"' note 67, m 10. 
42 


214c5.eps

The ehallC!lge of ~urveying small populations bccume pmtlculnrly apparem following the 

dramatic loss of covcmge far AmGrkau Indian languages in the 2011 Section 203 determinmions 

issued by the Census Bureau. In those determinations, the Census Bureau acknowledged th~t 

"the sampling error or uncertainty of the estimates of the characteristics necd~d for Set:tiou 203 

is a weakness particularly for jurisdictions with ;m<!ll ~ACS) s>1mplcs within the period 2005-

2009," the period used for the 2011 Determinations. Under previous determinations, the 

Census Bureau used the decennial long form questionnaire sent to one in six U.S. households; in 

contmst, the ACS qucstionnnire used in the 2011 Determinations wns sent to an average of one 

in eight U.S. households in the 5-year sample peliod.72 The use of a smaller sample of 

population has resulted in "larger margins of errOl" than the long-form estimates, particularly for 

determinations involving the small populations defined in Section 203."" 

This challenge to obtaining an accurate count in [ndi~n Country mny be less or an issliC 

for the 2020 Censu~ bcc<~use of the much more comprcheusive cnumcrntion it cnmils compared 

to the ACS. Nevertheless, to the exrcm thai the 2020 Cen~us rclle~ on ~orne statistical sampling 

methods to impute data, it may prove to be more difficult to get estimates in Indian Country 

because of the sparStl population in many Native communities. That limitation reinforces the 

importance of maximizing the enumeration of ~11 American Indians ;md Ala~ka N<~tivr:.~ and 

minimi~ing the uoo of sampling in less populate~ are~~. 

R~commendatiuns on How to lmtnove the Count in Indi~n Cnnntn• 

At first blush, the number and complexity of factors contributing to the undercount of 

American Indians and Alaska Natives are overwhelming. No single solution can romovc all of 

the barriers to obtaining an accurate count in Indian Country. Rather, a multi-faceted approach 

must be used for the 2020 Census. To the extent permitted under the law, the enumeration or 

American Indians and Alaska Natives must be pliable enough to adapt to tlw drcnrrntance.l on 

the ground and the unique needs of ear;h individual Tribe or Native community. 

Before offering recommendations on how to improve Census 2020 operation~ in Indian 

Country, some comments about the CC!lsus Burc;~u <1nd it~ staff <1~ in urtlcr. My experience with 

Census Bureau personnel has been as a member of the NmionHI Advisory Commillee, as a eli em 

for special tabulations I have u~cd in voting right~ liti~ation, and as a regular consumer of 

Census products. Witham m:ception, Census staff with whom I have worked nre each impartial, 

dedicated profe~;sionals committed to mnking sure that CV(:ry pcrsnn is counted. Their work is 

extraordinary. Their operations ure run efficiently nnd effectively, even in the face of dire 

funding shnrtfnll.l that undercut their effort~. Census leadership and the professionals at the 

" U.S. C<nsus Bllre:Ul, Stali"ionl Mmlcling Mothod<!togy fm lhc Vuling Ri~ht• Act Scctiou 203 Language 

Assistance Dctcrmlna!lon> (Dec. 20111 (""Simislical Mndding'"). al'l1ilubl• rrl 

hlltrl/""'·w.cg""' "OV/riln/Jolru\nling ri•l>~s dclcrminlllion r.tc.tnml. 

" S•e U.S. Ccn•u• Buru•u. Mcmur•ndum Rcg;mling the 20t t Dotunniumiuns 6 (Dec. 20t IJ. m•ailn!ile m 

h!!p,llwv.-w.cer"ll'.~ovl~lolrlotru\'ntin~ riohts dctcrmm>tinn r.li!.html. 

" S~11i.11tcal Modclint~s"P'" nnm 71, m 12. 
43 


214c6.eps

Burc~u should be commended for their stcwmdship in fullilling their constitutionnlund statutory 

mandntes. 

Cemms 2020 vp~rotWm· mu;·t be adeqrralely funded: 

The single greatest threat to an accurate count in Indian Country and elsewhere is the 

inadequate funding of progmms, tc.lling. and suppnn activities for the rump-up to the 2020 

Census. The Unal appropriation for FY 2017 funding for the Ce~1sus Bureau was $1.47 billion, a 

shonfnll of at least $164 million far the minimnl level of funding necessary to keep Cl'nsLlS 

programs running and to adequately prepare for the 2020 Census. The lack of funding has h.W a 

deleterions effect on several progmms criticnlto the opemtion oft he decennial census. including: 

The cuncellation of planned field tests on the Standing Rock 

Reservation in North nnd Sonth Duknw nml nn the Colville 

Reservation unci Off-Reservation Tru~l land in w~~hington Stat<:, <IS 

well as a third test in Puerto Rico. 

• The cnncellution of two out of the three dress rehear.~al sites in 2018 

(the 2018 End-to-Em! Census T(:St). including those in Pierce County, 

Washington, ~nd the Bluclicld-Bccklcy-Oak Hill area of West 

Virginia, which offered the only opportunities to test special counting 

methods for rurnl areas such as those in much oflndinn Country. The 

only drcs~ rehearsal that will nnw be oonducted is in Providence 

County, Rhode Island, an urban urea with a negligible AlAN 

population. 

"P;msc.<" and modifications for key 2020 Census activities, including 

delayed openings of Regional Census Centers, Pannership ProgrJm 

nctivilies, and preparation.~ for outreach and publicity campaigns. 

These changes could grcutly diminish the Bnrcuu's ability to tuke an 

accurate, cost-effective census and is expected to incre>tse the 

di:o;proportionate undercoum of American Indian and Ala.~ka Nmives, 

especially those living in rural, low-income, gcogrnphiClllly isolated, 

and/or linguistically isolated households. 

Shifting funds from other important Census Bureau programs to cover 

shorlfo.lls in activiti~s t:SSentialto the 2010 Cen~u~. 

Although recent continuing resolutions have induded anomall<!s for increased Census funding. 

those funding levels still fnll far short of where they n~d to be to obtain an ~c~umte count in 

lndia11 Country. 

The AdministnLtion's FY 20!8 budget request for the Censu~ Bureau initi;tlly wns just 

$1.497 billion, a mere two percent {$27 million) inc•-euse over the already underfunded FY 2017 

level. The Administration subscuucntlv adiustcd its rcouestto be $1.654 billion, addina $!87 
44 


214c7.eps

million for 2020 Census ~ctivities. However, even the adjusted request is substantially less tlmn 

what is needed for the decennial ~ens us rJmp-up. 

NAI~F joins the Leadership Conference and partnering organizations in r<:commemling 

un appropriation for the Census Bureau of at lca.5t $1.848 billion for FY 2013. Titat figure 

reflects an increase of $164 million over the Administration's adjusted budget. II would ~ddrcss, 

in p~rt, the impact that underfunding from FY 2017 h>1S hi!d on activities that nrc criticnl to 

Ccn~ns 2020 opcnttions, iucluding: 

• An additional $24 million for Current Surveys and Prugrams. l11c 

~djusted reque~t would authorize a total discretionary approprintion of 

$270 million, equal to the amount identified by the Senate 

Appropriations Commiuec and the FY 2017 appropriation. 

• An additional $50 million for oonllngcncy operations. This 

appropriation would be ~ddcd to the contingency fund propo~cd by 

Commerce Secretary Ro~s to account fur opurationnl issues that may 

arise in preparation for the 2020 Census. 

• An additional $80 million for the communications campaign. The 

Integrated Partner~hip and Commnnicatiorw {IPC) eontmct is bchi11d 

schedule bccaus<J of lack of funding in FY 2017. These funds are 

n~'Cc;o:;ary to give the IPC the resources for identifying and 

communicating effective messages to Indian Country about the 

importance of participating in the 2020 Census. 

An additional $10 million to increase the number of PartncrshitJ 

SpociHii;,is to 200. Currently, there an:: ju~l 43 Partncn;hip Specialists 

who arc responsible for all outreach and publicity for every nntional, 

Sllltc, regional. local ami tribal organir.ation. Tlw number is woefully 

short of the staff needed to communicute and c:ducate trusted partners 

in the American Indian and Alaska Native communities about the 2020 

Census, particularly considering the factor~ that make the AIAi'l 

population Hard·to·Count. 

NARF likewise support~ the Leudership Couference'l; request for a 20 percent increase in the 

number of Area Census Offices. The increase is needed to ensure that sufficient personnel are 

available to conduct what is expected to be a very high need fot· Nnnrespon.1e Follow· Up among 

AlAN persons, especially !hose residing in Hord"to-Coum Census Tm~t>. 

Fnudingjor field tests oftha 2010 Causw; on tribal/and~· must be n:rlorcd: 

The caucclled Cen~us Tc~ts on Tribul L;mds would have rcfiuctl methods for C()Unting 

people in tribal areas lacking street addresses, test method.~ of making in.person counts in AlAN 

households, and dct~:~minc where nml how to use oversompling to counteract the undercounL 
45 


214c8.eps

facing Nmive people living on reservations and in Native villages. ~ The field tests on the 

Colville and Standing Rock Reservations should be restored expeditiously to refine the d~t;\ 

collection methods in Indian Country for the 2020 Census. 

The NCT Report illmtrates the many challenges the Census Bureau and other federal 

agencies face in the enumemtion of the AlAN population. AmrHig all of tlw population groups 

included in the 2015 NCT, tile AlAN popu/atio11 experimcell flu< [ow~st 2010 Censn8 mllil 

r~lJWHI'« rate, at 57.8 penent.75 Tim lack of mailing addresses for many Nmive peoples on 

tribal lands had an impact on how the 2015 NCT wn.~ conducted in Indian Country. As the 

Census Bureau explained, it.l report "include.1 only ~elf-responders in areru; with relatively high 

address m:~ilability. Recall that the 2015 NCT did not include a Non=;pon~e followu;;: 

operation or ;my cnumen1tion of ar~<<l~ with high com:cntr~tiOM of nonmailable addresses."~ 

Similar problems will undoubtedly reoccur, which will only be exncerbnted if no field te.~t~ nre 

conducted in Indian Country in preparation for the 2020 Census. 

fl1e Federal Race aud Etlmlclty Standanf~· aud Census 2020 questionnaire must be 

r1pdatcd to reflect AlAN co/lcems: 

Another issne of particular con~m to oq;auizalions and lndividnals advocating on behalf 

or the American Indian and Alaska Native comnmnlty is the absence of any decision on 

Jevisiow; 10 the fc<Jciut Rncc tllld Etl111icily Swmlt11<J~. 11tc Rm:c "u<J Ethuidty Standntd~ u•ed 

hy every federal agency for surveys and statisticll research - including enumeration by the 

Census Bureau through the decennial census and data-g:~thering through other periodic survey~ 

~uch as th~< ACS- are very outdated. The Standards were Ja~l chnngcd in 1997. They do not 

rdlcct changing demographics. nor do they account for incrficicneics tlmt have become apparent 

in bO!h the 2000 Cen.~us und 2010 Census tl1ut "ontributed to the undercount of the AL\N 

population. 

NARF and other members of NAVRC were cautiously optimistic ;1boulthc proopcet~ for 

c!Toctivc ~ban~;cs to lhe Standartl~ when OMB publi~h~d it.~ notice inviting comments to be 

considered by the Federal Interagency Working Group.77 We submitted written comments in 

response to lbe notice, acrecing with the recommendation made by cnrccr swfr nt the Ccnmt~ 

Bureau for a separnte "write-in line to collect detailed AlAN re.~ponses, rather than the three 

conceptual chcckboxcs and a write-in line, on papcrqucstionnnircs:·n 

.,. U.S. C~nsu• Buroou. 2017 Census Test: p,~mring for the 2020 C"n<u<. m·ailnbl' n1 

h Ill' ,;// www ·""'" us '"' vkanlcn !fd • m/Q; n :ru>rlpm " nu n <·<tJry "v<lde<cnuiJLI/2020· 

cen<JJ!ti2017%211C:oJ1<J"%2n'l'""'t!tl?()l7 "'"'"'" ,,_<t/onlvittc l:!c~•hcet pdf. 

" NCT Report,snpm M!C ~.at 32, t<lblo 2. 

" l<l. ~153. 

71 s~,· Off«» ofManagc~~om ""'.! Budgor. PrO[los.11s From tho Fodcrol1ntorogcnc)' Workin£ Group forRcvisiM <>f 

lh" .Standarllli for MainiJining, Coll"oting, and l'ru ...,ning Pt:dcrnl D"l" on R""" and Etbnicity. 32 Fed. Reg. 12.242 

(Mar. 1.2017). 

"' Sc•• NCT Repon. '"P"' !toto 25. oL 36. 
46 


214c9.eps

Although it was widely exp~ted that the Federal lnterngeney Working Group would 

issue revisions to the Federal Race :t11d Gthnicity Stand:irds at the end of 2017. th~t did not 

happen. Instead, to date, no update on the Standards or exphmation for the dchty has bceu 

forthcoming from the Workin,g Group. That rndio silenre placed the: Census Bureau in a tenuous 

position to meet its mandate under federal law. As the Bureau has explnined, the "Censu~ 

Bureau needed to make a decl.~ion on the design of:he mce :md ethnicity questions by December 

31,2017 in order 10 prepare 2020 Census sySJems, ~nd deliver the final 2020 Census question 

wording to Congress by March 31, 20JS.""' 

As a result, currently the Census Bureau is planning on cominuing "to usc two sepnrnte 

questions for collecting dato on rnce nnd ethnicity in the 2018 Encl-to-End Census Test. and as 

the proposed format for the 2020 Census."00 It is true that clespitc the absence of changes to the 

1997 Standards, the Bureau will make some modific~tions to the 2020 Census que~tionnaire. As 

the Bureau has explained, ·'The ra~e and ethnicity questions include several design changes that 

wero tested over the past decm.lc in effort to improve tire d~sigrus from the 2010 Ccnsu~:·st 

While thnt will not result in a change to tim cuiTCnt 1997 definition of "American Indian ot· 

Alaska Nmive,"t2 it will result in one change on the qt1cstionnaire: "adding examples for the 

American Indian or Ala~ka Native rncinl cntegory."<> 

The career staff at the Census Bureau should be applauded for their efforts to make the 

nwsl out of a bad simmion. TI1cy are lo be; commcn<lcd ro, making what modifications they 

believe they can to the questionnaires being used for the 2018 Eud-to-End Test nnd the 2020 

Census under the outdated 1997 Federal Race and Ethnidty Stanclarcls. However, due to the 

ina~tiun by the FedcrJI lnter.~gency Working Group and the limitations imposed on the Bureau 

by federal law (and parlicu!arly the 1997 Standards), the proposed change docs not go f<~r enough 

for the AlAN populntion. 

The NCT tested three approache.~: separate questions on race aud ethnicity; a combined 

question for race and ethuicity with write-in boxes; and a combined question with ~heckboxes. 

Among AIII.N re,<;pondents completing the survey ·Jnline, the response rote was highest for the 

combined question with demiled checkboxes, with 73 percent provicling detailed responses. 

Notably, thi~ response rate was significantly lower than the next closest population group 

surveyed through the Internet, Nat.ive Haw<tiian and Pacific lsl:mdcr, ~t 89.9 pcrcenL &

4 

"' Albert E. l'ontcnot, Jr .. Al;soolato Director for Dcccnnl~t C\lnsu.o; ProgrJms. McmorJndum for RC<X>rd Rcg.~rtling 

Using Two s~'l'arntc Questions for R~cc und Ethnicity in 2013 F.nd-to-F.nd Census Tc" nnd 2020 Cc"'"-' l (2020 

Cen.us Pro_grum Memor.mdum Series: 2018.02) (Jnn. 2h. 20 I g) (''Ccn•us Memo 2018.02") . 

.. !d . 

.. /d. 

"' The 1997 Standnrds dcrinc the AlAN populntion 10 include a ''pl.-rson hnving origins in uny of the ori~inal 

poopb of Nurth and Snuth Am~:ricu (inctmling Ccmrnt Anl<ri:a), :md who m;~inl:lin< trih•l affil i:ttinn m ~:nmmunity 

~~~~chmcnt." !d. 

"' M. 

"' NCTRcpon. 01•pr~ note 25, at 49 & table tO. 
47 


214c10.eps

Largely because of the dmllenges in enumemting Native peoples ru~iding in Hard-toCount Census Tracts, it should be expected thm n large proportion of the AIAN population will 

re.~pond to the 2[)2{) C~nsus using a paper survey. However, the 2015 NCT report found that the 

response raoo among AlAN persons survey~d u:rinJ: llH~ paper fornmt wns lowe.~t for the 

combined qu~tion with detuiled chec:khoxes approach. Only 54.1 percent of AlAi"! respondents 

provided detailed responses using that approach, compared to 70.1 p~n:ent for the combined 

question with write-in response iU"Cas Hpproach attd 64.4 per.-:cm for the separate quc.stion 

approuch.85 

Tho Ccru!us Bureau has cx.plnincd that the lower response rnte using the paper formal 

may hnve been because of the inclusion of "three additional AlAN checkbox e.~ below the major 

category cbeekboll:," namely "American Indian, Alaska Native, und Ccutral or South American 

Indian." It is possible tbm the inclusion of the.~e llm~e existing OMll categories m~1y have 

discouraged respondents from completing the write-in line. as the C~n~us Bureau has 

suggc.~ted.g6 TI1c write-in line wns included beeau.sc the Census Bureou acknowledged dmt if it 

"were to employ the sill: largest Indian groups am! Alaska Native _gr011ps as ehcckboxcs, they 

would represent only about 10 percent or the entire AlAN population." Doing so would 

effectively offer no means of identification for the "hundreds of very smJll deto1iled AlAN tribes, 

villages, and indigenous groups for which Census Bureau dma is collected nnd mhulmed."117 

That conelu.~ion is reflected in the Bureau's finding thm 68.1 percent of all AlAN persons 

surveyed in the 2015 NCT that provided their tribal affiliation or a~sociati011 in the writt:-in space 

were not membr:rs of the six laq,'<.lst Aw-l groups.38 

As a result, the Census Bureau noled: "Additiom1l finding;.; rrum this rc.scarch indiCllte 

that it is optimal to usc one write-in line to collect detailed AIAN responses, rather than the three 

conceptual cheekboxes and a write-in line. on paper questionnaires. This research ~bowed that 

the inlroduction of conccptu~l checkboxes (i.t:., American Indian, Alnskn Native, and 

Central/South Ametican Indian) decreased detailed reporting for tl1e AlAN category in pnpcr 

data co11ections."89 Unfortunately, it appears th~t approach will not be m;ed far the 2020 Census 

because of the inaction by the Federal Interagency Working Group in Failing to update the I 997 

Standards. 

Just as NARF did in ltr written comments, I agree witll the approa~h pmponrf by 1ft~ 

Census B11ro«u in the NCT, aud recQJ/IIHeud lite Jol!owbtg format to be w;ed on the 2020 

CeJL~~~.~ qwwimmaire~ (I) provide a write-in line ~ the three c/tukboxcs for the three 

AlAN categories under tlie 1997 OMIJ standards; (2) prot•ide example•· (a.~ /he 2015 NCT 

Repurl ho~· suggusled and w; t/1~ Bureau Jm.~ rdterated in its }amrmy 26, 2018 Memo) /rJ allow 

AlAN re..~pandcuf'i to understand what injormatim1 ir being requested on tfle write-in Tine,· aml 

• !d. at SO&. tab!~ lt . 

• !d. "l so. 

" !d. at 52 . 

• S•e id. ot SS & lobto 14. 

" S•e id. ot 86. 
48 


214d1.eps

(3) provide CJIOIIgh space to a/fow rcspondcllls to provide multiple respm~1es if tl1ey identify 

witli more tila11 one tribe or village. 

The Ccmus Bunlau provided an illustration of the suggested que•tion format for 

respondent• identifying ns Alaska Native or American Indian: 

Figuru 3. ProtJoscd AlAN Question Format fm· the 2020 Census Questionnaire. 

0 AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE- Print, for 6Xamp/e, 

Navajo Nation, Bfackfoot Tribe, Moyan, Aztec, Native Village of 

Satrow lnupial T radilioaal Government. Tlingit etc. 

Only two modificHtions wonld uccd to be made to this question format. First., more line.• 

need to be added for re:;ponse~ to be written in because some tribes and Native villages have 

long names and many respondents idemify or affiliate themselves with more tllan one tribe or 

Native village. Second, input we have received at NA VRC meetings and m the field he:. rings 

indicates that two of the examples, "Mayan" and "Aztec," seem outmoded with <l ~parse 

population oompared to other trihes and Native villages. 

Even iftlw Census Bureau cmmot make these changes because oft he 1997 Standnrds, 

I encourage Members of Congress to authorize these changes to the qufslion formal fur /liB 

2020 Cemms, with a11y jurtl1er adjustme11ts rfcomme11ded by the career prufes~·hnu•ls at the 

Bureau. 

Perhaps even more so tlmn other population groups, the AlAN population group i~ not 

monolithic, but instead is C<Jmprised of a broa<J und diverse group of distinct tribes, Rssocintions, 

elm1s, or other affiliations. Individual Native persons may self-identify diftCrently tl1nn others 

within their community. Providing a write-in line is most consistent witl1 respecting tltat selfidentification of individuals and the NatioM in which they live or with which they are affiliated. 

Because many Native persons belong to and idenlify with more than a single tribe or Nutive 

village, they must be permitted to provide all of that information in any federal survey. 

Furthermore, as the Census Bureau's example il!ustr~tes, even many of the single re~pon.w~ will 

require additional space to provide a response bocause of their length (e.g., "Native Vi!Iuge of 

Barrow lnupiat Traditional Government"). 

On ~ rel~ted note, it i~ critical that both the instruclions and lhe enumerator~ be concise, 

dear, and uniform in their expl;mation of what information i~ being requestc~ of each N<llive 

person being surveyed. Variations in local customs, practices, nnd cultural differences must be 

part of auy federal survey being couduct<Xl, to ensnro it is effective. That is precisely why 

~upplemental studies, such ns the planned Census Test on Tribal LnmL•, mu.~t be completed by 

federal agencies that will be conducting surveys of the AlAN population. It would be 11. travesty 
49 


214d2.eps

w have the 2020 Census Questionnaire tested in lmlinn County for the first time on Cen.~us Day 

in 2020. 

,tdditional resources mmt be allocated for outreach to lndl«11 Country: 

It i8 a tremendous credit to the profe~~ionalism of Census sta!T that they have been 

actively engaged with tribal leaders and members I~ address issues impacting the cnumerntion in 

Indian Country through a series of tribal consultations in the ramp-up to the 2010 Census. 

Beginning in October 2015, the Census Bureau held tribal consultatious at locations around lite 

country.9 One of the important resuhs from tlw~c comuhation~ w~s the Bttreuu's decision not 

10 a.~k about tribal enrollment on the 2020 Census questionnnire.91 The tribal consulmtions have 

helped bridge some of the gulf that: separates the Tribes and Native peoples from the federal 

govcmmrmt. But those efforts must be ongoing w build on the nascent relationships that have 

developed. Aml equally important, those efforts must be fundo.<d by Congress. 

In addition, more re.murees mu~t be commi:ted 10 outreach and pnrtncrship programs in 

Indian Country. Many of the elements proposed in tltc Census Bureau's Integrated 

Communications Plan to target the AlAi'-! population will be ineffective in the most isolated parts 

of Indian Country. For example, the proposal id~ntifies tmditional modes of communication 

that arc either complctl!ly unavailable in Indian Country or are inacces~ible to l3rge numbers of 

people.n Television and mdio are not available to 1nnuy Alaska Nutive communities and lndinn 

reservations. For example, many of NARFs client villages in the Bethel, Dillingham, Kuslivak. 

and Ynkon-Koyukak Census Areas reported that they receive no rndio signals and inste<ld have 

to rely on ll!lnouncemcms being made over the village Citizens Band (CB) mdio. Billboards. 

newspapers, and magazine~ Ilkewi::.e are uot avnilnblc or used in many places. Broodbanrl access 

i~ non-existent on a majority of the tribal lands in rural areas. i\. ··one-~ize-fits-all" approach, 

~uch as wha! is suggested in the Bureau·~ outrea~h planning, simply will not work in Indian 

Country. 

The Censu~ Bureau al~o doe:; not have program funding in place to cnmmunicnte in 

Native languages, despite the fact that English is not widely spoken or used in many parts of 

Indian Country. The Brerean':; services in I!OII·English fa11grwgcs for past Census- al" well as 

fur the pk11111ed 2020 Census - dn not iuclude a single American lntlian or Alaska native 

la11guage. All or th~ language services orrcn.:d ha'"'·' be~n for A~inn nnd Europ~an Jnngu:tg~s. ; 

The Census Bureau intends to rely exclusively on "Partnership Effort~"' to rench even widely 

used American Indian and Alaska Native Janguapes, such as Navajo and Yup'ik.''"' 

.. S.eTrHml Consut!nlions, s10pm nul~ 67. Ill 2, 5. 

"' Seeid. 01 ll. 

"' S.e U.S. Ccruus Bm-.ou. lntegralcd Cnmmuntc;utnn< Pt~n <••or<lnn ].0) (Juno 2. 20t7l ("Cntnmunlcation< Pion""). 

u\"ailab/c at Imp.<:!!» '""' :1.r<' "" <. !"' Wiomg rum.•-'" rw·r.Vd''""' min/12fJ20/umv "'" l·m<'nn ••·mcllrli•l""'' ;,. e. 

d<Jc.!2021J irtlo"ml<rrl COM rNun.mf(. 

" s,-~ id. ot 74-77. 

0' See id. •176-77. 
50 


214d3.eps

Effective omrcach nnd publicity in Indian Country requires a pcrsomtluppwnch that will 

be tailored to the ~isLinct cultural an~ lin~;:ui~Lic ncc~s of uach Alll<'kn N~Livc village or 

reservation. Censtts publicity shonld be tn:mslan:d imo Native languagCil ami nccount for distinct 

di~lectic~l dif;'erences through !he u.~e of the ~rune method<: that prove effectilli! for lllnguage 

ru;sistunce in \ntlng: tran~!atiou~ hy p~nel.~ of q~nlified bilingual «llnshJ.tao':'l. and eunfiJmntlrm of 

the quality of iran~ations through re~ting among community memb!!ts. 

Ou!reach t."oon:linatcrs: will need ro be hired from vi!la.o,e-e ;md tribal wmmumln:s to 

l;Jcntlfy, plau, mtd !l.o.C<..'Ulc llw Jf!W>1 c!f«'tive rne!hods of wm:munil;ilting a00u1. lh~ impWL<~n>.:e of 

the Census ami how tu emurc an ~ccuratc conntls obtaint'-d. In some p!:tces, tltl\1 may roquim 

making a!loO~nwments over ll. CD m.dio. In other places, it might be to disc~ss the Census 

during tribal council m~Lin~s or other U~mmunity gathering.~. Tribal soo:;ial service 

organization~ t:lln be cngngcd to dis~croinata information and answcrquc~!ions, 

These suggestions all rcqnlrc funding to tailor outreach at!(\ publlch;• cnmpnigns to 

Native rommunities. It is unMrl!tundnble thnt there are effort:< being undet1nkon to minimi?.e 

costs associated with conducting federal Mnveys usi11g rncc and ethnicity dQta, However, tlwse 

efforts cannot come at the expen~e of nccumte and complete m~>JSurement~ of the AIAN 

population, They also c:mnot require soclo-economicatly disadvantaged Native vill'l,ges and 

Tribes to bear the brunt of the burden and be C<impelled to engage ln !e-lf·hclp. to ensure they are 

oountm.l. As om' of lh\l Hard<::sHo·Ct~uut popubtions. :~ddition;~l rc~ourccs beyond those already 

ull<>Ofl!OO fw ~><= 2020 C'"'i:rol> mM !» <.li!"''~t"'cl low~r<h lmli~n Country. 

TFWill!ti Am~<riCMlmJians and A!arka Nntil'e> should be cmmrcroton;: 

The most frt:quent input on \he Ccn£1Ll that we h;!Ve m:eivcd during NAVRC\1 field 

he~ rings is thtt the cnumcralion QU trlbtUlautls shDuld be con<itlctcd :t>y Nntlv<:'$, not non-Natives. 

This i~sue enmc up in rl.!l;pon~c to n proposal by the Ccnstls Bureau to nsc JH!Sinl workers as 

enumerators. Postal wcrkcrs in )ltdlan Cou11try often arc non-NatiV<l~. The Bureau has 

considered employing postul wl'lrk~r,> to conduct the Cenw.• becnu!<e, il Wll" n:a.1oncd, they 

would most li:(ety know where people live and :ould minimize some G'lf the undercouut t'or those 

with non, tradition~! mailing oddr<:s~. 

Amcricm1 Indian~ nnd Ahtska Nntiv!ll! ntvc- significant co.mwm• nboulth~ pusl•tl warkcr 

proposnl for ~ variety or reason~. The.y expressOO ~;.>;(rcme discomfort with the pro:;p~'<'l or 

having (0 share some of their most po:lfSOmd ;ul<.C gcnsitivc infurmaLi<Jll {e.g., thcir age-s, cducalion 

3nd H=~~y lcvds, homu:hold !ncom<>) with someone wOO they mny sec cwry d<>y \le!lvcrlng 

fllll.il. TilC cru;!>t:n.<>tlll was lh>llll\!Ch an apprw.chWimld likdy tli:><:t!lll'i!),'C partkip;~iilll oract:umlc 

disclosure uf infommtion to Cc>lSit~ cmtrrn::rntms. Morr.o~'\.!r, bocauw ro uw.ny cf AlAN pcorilc 

u..~e nr:m-trarlitionn! mailing methods suCh 3S post oi'fiee or ;;cncn\l rlc!iv<:ry l>Jxes shared hy 

mul!lpie fumllies or gcncrotiorm of asiug!<: [!lmi!y, po~!al Wl)fl«;rs fmqul.llllly will have no idc;J of 

how many people live in a pnrtiaularhrrl}srohnld. or possihly even w!JCn:: th~ hou~ehold is !tlCll.t-ed. 

If the postal worker happens to be a non-Native, which many (and perhaps oven most) would be. 

these concerns would b~ even gn.-.ater. 
51 


214d4.eps

The mo.~t accepted ~uggestion i.~ that enumerators for each tribe or Native village should 

be hired from that tribe or village and not from the outside (including from mher tribes or 

villages). Tribal leaders should be 'onsulted to identify the people most trusted in their 

community to conduct an in·person enumeration. This approach would hn~ the ndded benefits 

of using someone who ttlremly knows where people live and whose trusted reputation is more 

likely to lend to participation in the Censu.~ and elicit accumte re~ponscs. 

Amcricarrs bufimzs a11d Alaslro Natives should tmiu enumcraWrs In Indian Cou11try: 

Related feedback from tribal communities is thnt American Indian~ and Alaska Natives 

should be hired to pwp~ru ~nd provide all training for Census enumeration in Indian Country. 

As the earlier example highlights,\lj non-Native trainers who aru traininc N~tiv~ cnumenttor~ on 

how to be culturally sensitive in ludi~n Country arc tml well rc~dvcd. Nor arc Census workers 

who wear suits when they conduct in-person training or door-to·door enumeration. Some of the 

best tmincrs to help prepare for Census 2020 can be re~dily dntwn from Native professionals 

who work in tribal or community offices, or from ;tmon~: th~ Joe~! N~tiv~ e~ucators. 

Census 2020 trnd tile Bureau's leadership tmt~·t be free oftlze taittl ofpartisaJzslltjJ: 

The Census Bureau ami its leadership have, of ncw~sity, bc~n frc~ of partis<m taint in th~ 

Bureau's operations. The Bureau's mandnte under Article I, Section 2 of the Constillllion is to 

provide an accurate enumeration of nll people in the United Stales, to ensure the proper 

apportionment among the !!\:Vera! states. It has other S\ll'llcyin:;: and data-gathering 

responsibilities under many federal ~taUltcs. To promote mandnted complinnee with its datagathering dforts, it is essential that the American public hnve faith that Census Bureau 

lendcrship ~nd profcs:>ionuls will perform their duti~s fre~ of ~ny p~nis~nship or p;~rtisun 

influence. 

Although the Deputy Director position docs not require Scnme confirmation, it 

nevertheless is critical to the fair ami ~ccurate functioning of the Census Bureau. The Deputy 

Director will overR~c op~rational ~ontrol ov~.o-r the 2020 Census. Historically, candid~tes to Iill 

that position have been career stmlsti~ians who huvc many year• of experience as Ccn~us Burenu 

employees. That approach h~s served the Bureau and the country well. Tite Census hn£ been 

managed by neutr~l, impartial, non·partisan professionals who nrc intimately familiar with the 

Bureau's operations and arc well-respected by Bureau staff. Through such exacting le~dcrship. 

Census products arc accepted and fonn the vtry corntrstcne of the quality data thut L~mtributcs 

to c.nsuring we have government representative ot' all the people. Thm trndition of nonpanisanship and professionalism most uontinuc, free from the political viewpoints of the per~on 

appointed to fill the Deputy Director position. 

The same com:cms hold tru~ when the Administration selects its nomine~ for the 

Buro~u's Director. It has now been over seven months -•ince Dirc:<:tor John lltompson resigned. 

Director Thompson, like his predecessors at the Bureau, ped'ormed his duties ndmirably und free 

of influence by <!IIY political party. Like the Deputy Director, any nominee who is num~d to fill 

9> S<~ s"pm UO(~ !7 ~nd u..:ump011ying U::<t. 
52 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. 

We will now have five-minute rounds of questioning, which I will 

start. 

I would like to start with you, Director Jarmin. How does the 

Census Bureau reconcile with BIA location, boundaries, and so 

forth on tribal lands, and, of course, that is necessary in terms of 

identifying your population counts? So how do you go through that 

process? 

Mr. JARMIN. So, as I mentioned in my testimony, Senator, so 

what we do is we work with BIA, we work with the Tribes, we do 

the Annual Boundary Annexation Survey, where we send maps out 

to not just to tribal organizations, but to local governments across 

the Country to make sure that we get any changes in boundaries 

incorporated into our geographic systems as quickly as we can. 

The CHAIRMAN. And is that a smooth process where you, by and 

large, have agreement, or is it contested? 

Mr. JARMIN. Yes, it is, by and large, a smooth process. 

The CHAIRMAN. Address, if you would for me, in some cases in 

tribal communities you have overcrowding and you may have multiple families living in one residence, and you may have movement, 

you know, in terms of where they live and so forth, temporary addresses and all those kinds of things. So, how do you get an accurate count in those situations? 

Mr. JARMIN. That is a really good question, Senator. So, I think 

one of the things that we need to do better to strive to communicate to tribal communities is that there is sometimes a hesitancy 

to provide information about more than one family living in a particular house. The data that we collect are confidential and used 

for statistical purposes only, and perhaps could be used to make 

the case for more housing assistance if we could get a complete 

count. 


214d5.eps
53 

So we need to make sure that our enumerators are trained to 

identify when it looks like there may be additional people in the 

house, to ask the right questions, to sort of suss out what the right 

count is. We just want to get the count; we don’t provide that information to anybody other than ourselves, and it will be kept confidential. 

The CHAIRMAN. Do you feel that you are getting through with 

that message and that you are getting people to come forward and 

be counted, versus, you know, what has been a reticence in some 

cases to provide information? 

Mr. JARMIN. I do think there is some improvement that could be 

made, but we are successful some of the times; some of the times 

we are not successful. So I think more training, more focus on that 

particular issue will be helpful in 2020. 

The CHAIRMAN. Ms. Gore, would you talk about how do we reach 

geographically isolated communities and what are some of the 

things that you think are successful and can be successful? 

Ms. GORE. I would say there are a number of things. I would say, 

first of all, having a partnership specialist contacting them, they 

work within a region and can help with messaging and outreach, 

help the Tribes develop that. I think that is critically important. 

And in 2019 Census will begin developing complete count committees. Those also work on a regional basis, and it helps to educate 

those at the local level, number one, the importance, how to develop that cultural sensitivity in the messaging, how to conduct the 

outreach, who should be engaged, and really get the message out 

early, before census begins in 2020. That is what I would suggest. 

Our State has already begun with an Alaska stakeholders meeting. We have begun our conversation by looking at 2010 and where 

our challenges were and informing Census, working with them to 

inform them where our challenges were as a State in those remote 

communities so that they could be prepared and we could work 

with them to get some of those challenges or barriers taken down 

before 2020. 

I hope that answers your question, Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. These partnership specialists, talk about 

them. How do you make sure you get good partnership specialists 

that can really get that job done? 

Ms. GORE. Well, I can speak only for my State, and, in our region, we worked with Jamie Christy, who is the Regional Director 

out of Los Angeles, and he advertised for an Alaska Native to be 

that partnership specialist. He recognized that that was an opportunity for the State; that our hardest to count communities needed 

that representation, and, indeed, we have a representative that is 

Alaska Native, and we are pleased to have her. 

The CHAIRMAN. Yes. I mean, you need somebody that can kind 

of connect, right? 

Ms. GORE. Absolutely. 

The CHAIRMAN. And break through some of the reticence, and to 

come forward and also that understands your State and how to 

work with people. 

Ms. GORE. Absolutely. I would just say that Census was great at 

reaching out to us and asking us to help identify people that could 

apply for that position. So, the Census Bureau didn’t just simply 

54 

put out an ad; they did some outreach with those of us that had 

boots on the ground, and I sincerely appreciate that effort. It did 

bring some new names forward, and I appreciate that they took our 

recommendations, and we have, I think, a very good representative 

today. 

Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. And then just one other question for President 

Keel. How about technology? Have you seen things in the technology world that can really help on the Reservation? 

Mr. KEEL. Absolutely. The outreach from tribal governments can 

put the word out, can get the sample ballots and sample types of 

documents out to the citizens is very helpful, but there is a problem, as has been noted. Not all communities have broadband, not 

all of our communities have access to the Internet, so that sometimes could be a problem. But the electronic and technology today 

does allow us to interact with our citizens a great deal more effectively. 

The CHAIRMAN. Vice Chairman Udall. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you. 

Before I begin here, let me just thank President Keel on his inaugural address. I was there to hear it and it was excellent, and 

I think he really laid out a good agenda for Indian Country. 

Mr. KEEL. And we thank you, too, Senator, for your response. 

Senator UDALL. Well, thank you. Thank you very much. 

Mr. KEEL. Thank you. 

Senator UDALL. And we also have in the audience the Governor 

of the Laguna Pueblo, Virgil Siow. He is back there. 

Virgil, good to see you. Welcome. Good to have you here on this 

issue. 

One important area where the Administration’s fiscal year 2019 

budget falls short yet again is funding for the Census Bureau’s 

partnership program, which entrusts local groups with promoting 

participation in Indian Country. 

Mr. Jarmin, according to written testimony for this hearing, the 

Bureau lags far behind in hiring partnership staff. By some estimates, the Bureau has only hired about 40 partnership specialists. 

In 2010, the Bureau hired 3,800. And now we are hearing the Bureau only plans to hire 1,000. 

Can you provide us an update on the Bureau’s progress? And 

why would you hire less than a third from what you used in the 

last census, and you still, with all of those partnership people, had 

a 5 percent undercount? 

Mr. JARMIN. Thank you, Vice Chairman, for the question. So, in 

our lifecycle cost estimate, which we worked very carefully with the 

secretary and department staff last year to sort of remap what the 

resources needs were going to be to get done to keep us on the critical path to completing a fair and accurate census, one of the 

things we looked at was the communication and partnership programs. We have $500 billion for the advertising program and about 

$248 billion for the partnership program. Those are both substantial increases over what we did in 2010. 

For the partnership specialists, in particular, we had 800 of those 

in 2010, and the balance were what we call partnership assistants; 

and many of those were hired with money that came from the ReVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:32 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 029840 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 S:\DOCS\29840.TXT JACK
55 

covery Act. So, this time we will be putting more partnership specialists on the ground. This is an area where you all can help us. 

I mean, we really need to have our fiscal year 2019 budget on time 

so that we can start that process in October. We will be probably 

starting, you know, posting some of those jobs over the summer so 

that we can kind of get people in the door and up and running as 

soon as we can. But, again, it is going to be, if we are on a CR 

again, that is going to put us off our timing a little bit. 

Senator UDALL. Are you intending, with the assistants, to come 

up to about the same number as in 2010? 

Mr. JARMIN. So, right now we do not have a plan to hire that 

many of the assistants, no. 

Senator UDALL. Of the assistants. 

Mr. JARMIN. Yes. 

Senator UDALL. And didn’t they help a lot in bringing the 

undercount down? I mean, if you go back to 1990, with a 12 percent undercount, so it seems to me we really need to focus on that. 

But let me shift over here to President Keel. NCAI played a vital 

role during the last census with Indian Country counts. Can you 

discuss NCAI’s plans for partnerships this next census? 

Mr. KEEL. Thank you, Senator, for that question. Outreach to Indian Country is critical. In fact, NCAI did conduct a lot of outreach 

in 2010, and it is important that we do that again. We do as much 

as we can outreach to all of Indian Country to get the word out, 

but it is also critical and we want to add that census funding and 

policy issues, they cause us to shoulder a lot of the burden that at 

times puts a strain on our resources as well. 

We do as much as we can to partner with them, and we will do 

our very best to get the word out to all of our communities, even 

those that are most remote, to make sure that they understand 

how important this is. But it does cause an inordinate amount of 

work on a limited number of staff. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you. 

The census can have a profound influence on the issue of voting 

accessibility, everything from a constituent’s voting district to the 

availability of language assistance at the polls. 

Mr. Tucker, can you please explain the importance of fully funding the data collection efforts as it relates to voting language assistance? And then I know you probably also have an opinion on 

this partnership specialists and whether they are sufficient in 

numbers, and you have heard Mr. Jarmin’s testimony. Please go 

ahead. 

Mr. TUCKER. Thank you, Senator. I will start off with the partnership program. Just by way of example, taking what Ms. Gore 

said about having one program specialist currently with five 

States, in your own home State currently, the Native language program that is in place, and Secretary Oliver’s office has eight fulltime employees, four of them who are bilingual—I am sorry, eight 

of whom are bilingual in four different Native languages. That is 

just for four counties that are largely in the northern part of the 

State. 

So, the point to emphasize here is that the Census Bureau really 

does need more to be effective because it is a very big ask. 

56 

In terms of language assistance, turning to the American Community Survey briefly, the issue is that if you underfund it for even 

a single year, it can jeopardize the ability of the Census Bureau to 

make accurate language determinations, which are done on a rolling five-year basis. 

And then, of course, the other part of voting and census is that 

the Public Law 97–141 data is the building block for everything 

that we do, whether it is apportionment, redistricting, or in instances in which organizations like NARF have to bring voting 

rights litigation, we need the data for both the voting blocks, as 

well as the socioeconomic data to demonstrate the violations. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you, Mr. Tucker. 

And I know, Ms. Gore, you made it really clear that you didn’t 

think they were hiring enough partnership specialists at this particular point, and you pointed out what the Alaska situation was, 

so thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Murkowski? 

Senator MURKOWSKI. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I thank 

you for the focus on the partnership specialists, and, Carol, your 

testimony again given by way of example. 

We all know that folks are prepared to work hard as we move 

towards the actual count, but you can only do as much as you can 

possibly do; and recognizing not only the human resource, but the 

resource behind the count is very important going forward. 

I wanted to ask you, and, again, this is to you, Ms. Gore, when 

you responded to the Chairman when he asked about how you 

reach out to these very rural areas, you said that you looked to the 

2010 Census and the count, and the lessons learned there. 

From just that, your lessons learned, and let’s use Alaska as a 

specific example, what are we doing with, again, some of these 

more remote communities that we didn’t do in 2010? I want to hear 

a couple of the best practices that you are anticipating. 

Ms. GORE. Sure. Thank you for the good question, Senator Murkowski. It is good to see you. I would say, first of all, lessons 

learned in 2010, we learned that boots on the ground really 

mattered; that the absence of boots on the ground in remote Alaska, I would say, and not just rural Alaska, where there is no infrastructure to get anyone in to some of our smaller communities except by plane or boat or a snow machine if you are there in January, was really, really critical. 

Also, I would say engaging those communities in advance so that 

they were educated about the importance of census. There is almost nothing more important to our small communities than Federal funding, and when we are working with communities that 

have maybe less than 25 individuals living in a community, they 

need to be engaged, and they need to be engaged by tribal leaders 

who understand the importance of that. So having an earlier education has also mattered in remote and rural Alaska. 

I would say, also engaging our Alaska Native regional corporations who can help to communicate. Using those partnerships has 

helped to save the Federal Government money because we have 

that early engagement. It is not just boots on the ground, but it is 

also communicating to Census that telecommunications is not 

57 

going to work; we have to have paper methods to communicate 

with people that live in remote and rural Alaska. 

We know that broadband is not there yet; we know they don’t 

have accessibility. Sometimes we can’t even apply for a grant on a 

timely basis because there is no place through which to work on 

an online system. 

So those are some of the examples I would use, and I am sure 

they are shared by other remote and rural communities in the 

lower 48 States, we call them. 

Thank you for that question. 

Senator MURKOWSKI. I appreciate that and I appreciate your last 

point about having a hard copy. 

It is actually pretty fortuitous, Mr. Chairman, because just last 

week I was the designated resident of this particular address here 

in Washington, D.C. I received the American Community Survey. 

I was randomly chosen. I was told that my response is required by 

law. And I looked at it and it says I am supposed to complete this 

survey online as soon as possible at respond.census.gov/acs. I am 

sorry, I wasn’t going to fill this out online; I wasn’t going to do it. 

And then I get to the next line, the next paragraph that says, ‘‘If 

you are unable to complete the survey online, there is no need to 

contact us; we will send you a paper questionnaire in a few weeks.’’ 

So, being the good taxpayer that I am, I am waiting for my paper 

questionnaire. 

I did get a follow-up just yesterday. This is very fortuitous, Mr. 

Chairman. Just yesterday I got a message from the Director of the 

U.S. Census Bureau, who reminded me that I should have received 

my instructions once again to go online, and I am required by law 

to do it. 

Now, I am not too worried, but I do worry about some of our seniors in our very remote areas who look at this and say, my gosh, 

my response to this is required by law, and I have to do it by going 

online. I don’t have to do it by going online; I can wait. 

But I do think that this is, again, one of these examples where 

we need to make sure that we are reaching people the way that 

they can be reached; and many people cannot be reached, or don’t 

want to communicate, by the Internet, so making sure that we 

have this hard copy. So I am awaiting that, and then at that point 

in time I will be that resident at this household who will comply, 

but until then, don’t expect me to do it online. 

I do want to ask, and I know that my time has expired here, but 

as we are collecting these, these are randomly assigned to households. Do we, in these random assignments, is there equal emphasis on rural and outlying areas as there is in urban centers? Do you 

know, Mr. Jarmin? 

Mr. JARMIN. Well, thanks for the question, Senator Murkowski, 

and we really appreciate you filling out your ACS. As you heard, 

the data are critical. 

Senator MURKOWSKI. Yes. I will get to it. 

Mr. JARMIN. And we do do it electronically and we try to encourage people to do it electronically because we get better data. It is 

easier for us to process and it provides the extra resources that we 

might need to really reach out to the folks who can’t do it online, 

58 

so it is important that the people who can fill it out in the most 

efficient and high quality manner. 

Senator MURKOWSKI. You might convince me to do it online to 

save you money. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. JARMIN. So the ACS is a stratified survey where we try to 

make sure that we can publish statistics for certain areas, so some 

rural areas may be oversampled for us to be able to publish data 

for a rural area. So you might get a higher sampling rate amongst 

a community where there it is less dense. So it does impose a 

slightly higher burden, but we can’t publish data if we don’t do 

that; we just wouldn’t be able to publish data for many communities in Alaska or the American West if we didn’t do that. 

Senator MURKOWSKI. I understand. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all. 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Murkowski, that was excellent. Nothing 

like a concrete example to know what we are dealing with. And I 

agree with you 100 percent. I mean, obviously, most people do it 

online, but I think having that backup and saying, hey, if you don’t 

want to do it online, you know, a paper copy is coming. Very important and point really well made. 

Senator Smith. 

STATEMENT OF HON. TINA SMITH, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA 

Senator SMITH. Thank you, Chair Hoeven and Vice Chair Udall, 

and thank you all very much for being here today. I have a couple 

of questions for Mr. Jarmin. 

As Senator Heitkamp observed, and I think also President Keel, 

these field tests for the new procedures for administrating the census in Indian territories and Indian communities were cancelled 

due to lack of funding, so I am wondering if you can just tell us 

a little bit about the consequences of this. Was the Bureau able to 

salvage anything from that process that might be incorporated into 

kind of where we go from here? 

Mr. JARMIN. Well, thank you, Senator Smith. So, we did not take 

that decision lightly. We designed those tests; we intended to carry 

them out. There was some budget uncertainty, as my fellow witnesses attested to, so we needed to make a decision that we 

thought could best keep us on the critical path to the census. 

We weren’t testing any procedures that were particularly new in 

Indian Country. Obviously, for all the reasons that have been stated, we do plan to have lots of boots on the ground; we do plan to 

use a lot of the traditional methods and to rely really heavily on 

partnership and outreach to sort of get the word out and drive response. 

But one thing that we were disappointed that we were not able 

to test was our systems in areas of low connectivity, so our field 

staff will be using an iPhone when they go out. That needs to work 

both in the connected and a disconnected state. So we were able 

to, in the 18 end-to-end test, which is ongoing right now, the address canvassing part of that that occurred last fall, we were able 

to test a lot of that in West Virginia, which had a large area that 

had limited connectivity as well, and partly in Pierce County, 

59 

Washington. So we were able to test those systems, so we were 

able to salvage a good part of what we really wanted to learn, but, 

again, it was a decision that we made that we thought gave us the 

best opportunity to be successful. 

Senator SMITH. Well, thank you. And I want to be clear I have 

a lot of respect for the professionals at the Census Bureau; the 

question is whether you have the resources and what you need to 

be able to do your job. 

So, this brings me to another thing I am kind of concerned about. 

We are expecting to have, I understand, three area offices in Minnesota for the 2020 Census; one in Duluth, one in Minneapolis, and 

one in the Rochester area. But we won’t be able to have any offices 

in basically the western two-thirds of the State, where many of our 

largest Native communities are. These offices will be hundreds of 

miles away from places like White Earth and Red Lake, and other 

places. 

So, can you help me, can you just talk a little bit about whether 

there is any chance, how are we going to best serve this vast area? 

It is a lot if you are in Minnesota, but I think about the challenges 

that Senator Murkowski will have in Alaska dwarf this in many 

ways. But could you just talk a little about what we can do about 

this, if anything? 

Mr. JARMIN. So I do think that our plan for staffing the field offices and how that is going to manage down to the enumerator in 

this census is going to allow us to have a much less dense area office network, and a lot of that is because we are not going to have 

as many sort of face-to-face meetings. Work will be doled out on a 

daily basis to enumerators in an automated fashion, as opposed to 

getting paper lists and stuff like that from your field supervisor, so 

I think we are pretty confident we will be able to address that. Obviously, if more would be margin would be a little bit better, but 

I don’t know if it would really justify the cost. 

Senator SMITH. One of the things we are doing in Minnesota, and 

it sounds like it might be similar to what you are working on, Ms. 

Gore, in Alaska, is really developing a Minnesota-specific communications plan for the census, and we are specifically working to engage American Indian communities in that process early on. I 

think that was a best practice that you identified, Ms. Gore, as we 

were thinking about this, and I am really hopeful that this will 

help us. 

In Minnesota, we had one of the higher report rates in the Country, at 81 percent, which is typical of my State; we like to do what 

we are supposed to do. But the rates dropped to the mid-50s in our 

Native American communities and surrounding counties. So I am 

glad that we kind of like think about what these best practices are 

and maybe also incorporate them at the Federal level also. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Cortez Masto. 

STATEMENT OF HON. CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair and 

Ranking Member Udall. 

Welcome to everyone. Thank you for being here. 

60 

Mr. Tucker, welcome, from Las Vegas, I understand. Welcome 

here. That is fantastic. 

Mr. TUCKER. Thank you. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. President Keel, I would like to ask you 

a question. It has been widely reported that the DOJ requested 

that the Census Bureau include a question on citizenship in its 

2020 Census, and I joined a letter in January with Senator Feinstein and some of my other Senate colleagues to Secretary Wilbur 

Ross expressing serious concerns about the DOJ’s request. I have 

expressed my deep concern about this at the Senate Commerce 

Committee hearings as well, and have been deeply troubled by reports of minority populations being significantly underenumerated. 

In fact, this is a problem that we know happens in the Latino communities, where 400,000 young Latino children ages 0 to 4 were 

uncounted in 2010, including 6,000 in Clark County, Nevada. 

Under the current Administration, immigrants and minority 

groups are fearful for the security and safety of their families, and 

the inclusion of a question on citizenship could impact the accuracy 

of the census and its data. Given this Administration’s rhetoric and 

actions relating to immigrants and minority groups, the DOJ request on a question on citizenship is alarming. 

You note in your testimony, President Keel, that NCAI opposes 

the citizenship question in the census. Can you elaborate about 

NCAI’s concerns that such a question would suppress participation 

in the census? 

Mr. KEEL. Well, thank you, Senator, for that question. I think it 

goes back to what we spoke about earlier, and in our testimony we 

talk about the mistrust and the historic misrepresentation or how 

this data could be possibly used. So I think when we talk about the 

cynicism or the mistrust or distrust of the forms are those forms 

themselves, and I think you mentioned just a moment ago about 

the Latino and the other populations, the Native populations have 

those same fears and those same cynical responses, I believe. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Right. 

Mr. Tucker, do you have anything to add to that? 

Mr. TUCKER. I would agree with President Keel. In fact, it is very 

interesting, because just turning to the State of Nevada, for example, we conducted a study of four States, including Nevada, examining how did American Indians feel towards the Federal, State, 

and local governments. 

Nevada actually had the highest level of trust in the Federal 

Government, but it was 28 percent. And what we see consistently 

across Indian Country, regardless of which part of Indian Country 

we are talking about, is Native Americans believe a lot more and 

have a lot more trust in their own tribal governments than they 

do in any non-tribal government. So, I would agree that any asking 

of a citizenship question just erects another barrier that in all likelihood is just going to make more people not want to participate 

and, frankly, not report accurately. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Right. Thank you. 

Mr. Tucker, let me stay with you. In your testimony, you observe 

that a fair and accurate census and a comprehensive American 

Community Survey must be considered among the most significant 

civil rights issue facing the Country today. This is something I hear 

61 

every day when I engage with my Tribes across the State; and, in 

fact, a constituent wrote to me about the hardship many Shoshone 

and Paiute people endure just to vote, and she just wrote ‘‘Many 

indigenous people live on the Duckwater Reservation and have to 

drive a long way to vote.’’ 

I want her to know that our Native American people count, that 

we see them, we are listening to them. My question to you is an 

accurate and accessible census is a constitutional responsibility, 

and I am proud to work on this Committee to ensure its accuracy. 

Can you, though, please discuss the importance of census data in 

light of the Supreme Court’s Shelby County decision and the increased necessity of litigation to challenge unlawful Native vote 

suppression? 

Mr. TUCKER. It is a great question and it is very timely, again, 

because we are coming up on, I believe it is, the fifth anniversary 

of Shelby County. So, in terms of what Native groups have to do 

through groups such as NARF, we are having to bring a lot more 

Section 2 cases, which are the general nondiscrimination provisions 

under the Voting Rights Act. To do that, it is heavily dependent on 

census data. 

Two of the three Gingles preconditions to establishing vote dilution rely directly on census data, geographical compactness and racial bloc voting. And then, of course, the other piece of it is the Senate factors. Many of the Senate factors to establish a violation require socioeconomic data and data that basically shows that Native 

candidates who have to compete in a very, very large district may 

be economically disadvantaged and can’t do that. 

But the best example actually comes from Nevada, from just before the 2016 election. In the case of Sanchez v. Cegavske, it actually involved a situation where four Tribes in the northern part of 

Nevada sued the State of Nevada and some of the counties because 

of distance issues in order to get to voter registration and in-person 

voting; and there the critical component that we needed from Census was to show lack of access to reliable transportation in households and what the impact on socioeconomically disadvantaged 

groups was in trying to drive distances, such as, for example, when 

you talk about Duckwater in Nye County, they are very, very great 

distances and they do have a disenfranchising effect. 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. Thank you. 

I notice my time is up. Thank you so much for being here today 

and the discussion. 

The CHAIRMAN. Vice Chairman Udall? 

Senator UDALL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

As we all know, the census is a critically important government 

function, and yet the current Administration has yet to nominate 

a qualified candidate to lead the Census Bureau in the critical 

years leading up to 2020. That is not to in any way disparage the 

career folks that are out there; they spend a lot of time working 

on this, I know. And I find this problematic for a number of reasons, including a lack of accountability. 

I take my oversight duties very seriously and want to ensure we 

have a successful 2020 Census, one that is data-driven and free of 

politics. 

62 

President Keel, do you see this leadership vacuum as a problem 

leading up to the 2020 Census? 

Mr. KEEL. Thank you, Senator Udall. Leadership at the Census 

Bureau is critical to the success of the census. When you say a 

leadership vacuum, we believe that it is important that we have 

strong leadership, and it is important for the whole direction. 

When you talk about how we conduct the census and how it is understood and received in Indian Country, as well as across the 

Country, I believe it is important that we get strong leadership in 

place now so that we can move forward. 

Senator UDALL. President Keel, I share your concern over reports 

that the Department of Justice requested the Census Bureau include a question on citizenship, a proposal that the National Congress of American Indians oppose. I oppose injecting politics into 

the census with these types of questions, which will likely have a 

chilling effect on communities that are already at risk of being 

undercounted, and I share that concern. 

Mr. Tucker, there have been additional reports of highly partisan 

candidates to senior roles at the Census Bureau and the Department of Commerce. Is this cause for concern for you with respect 

to ensuring that the census is done accurately and fairly? 

Mr. TUCKER. It is, Senator, for two reasons. One, as many of you 

have already discussed, this is a constitutional mandate under Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, and it has to be free of any 

sort of outlook that it could be tilting, you know, the count in favor 

of one party or another, or undercounting any particular group to 

favor one party or the other. 

The other issue is partisanship undermines the public faith that 

folks have in the Bureau; and, in doing that, that leads to the very 

sort of chilling effect that President Keel talked about. We don’t 

want to make hard-to-count populations even harder to count either through partisan leadership or through questions such as a 

citizenship question that may make people more reluctant to participate. 

Senator UDALL. President Keel, did you have a comment on the 

citizenship question? 

Mr. KEEL. I was going to add that the Census Bureau has already developed and sent out questionnaires that are designed to 

answer those questions, so putting another question there just 

seems duplicative and more costly. 

Senator UDALL. As I understand it, the message to the Census 

Bureau from tribal delegates has been loud and clear: hire and 

train locally. That means hiring trusted individuals from within 

each community to do everything from outreach to actual enumeration. 

Mr. Jarmin, what is the Bureau’s plan for hiring American Indians and Alaska Natives from within each community? I think that 

one of the things that has come out here is are there going to be 

enough to reach these smaller areas, like others have talked about, 

where you have a community of 25 who may be very suspicious of 

strangers and outsiders, and somebody that knows them may be 

able to go in there and get a good count and encourage people to 

come forward with the information. 

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Mr. JARMIN. Well, thanks, Vice Chairman Udall. Our plan definitely not only in Indian Country, but across the Country, is to hire 

enumerators who are representative of the communities that we 

are going to have them enumerating in, for many reasons, for 

trust, for language proficiency. It is absolutely critical to have a 

successful census that the people who are knocking on doors are 

people that households will open the doors to and can communicate 

with efficiently, so that is our plan. We will be working with the 

Tribes to identify not just the people who are going to do the 

knocking, but the people who are going to do the hiring, the local 

management, all tiers of the field staff. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you. 

Senator Hoeven and I are both appropriators, and we take very 

seriously what you say in terms of when you get to 2019, have the 

budget in place. The positive thing for you is that we have a number now for 2019, and we should be able to work and get them a 

budget at the beginning of the fiscal year so that you can be prepared and get people out there. 

Thank you. 

Mr. JARMIN. We would be very appreciative of that, and anything 

that we can do to help you in that, just let us know. 

Senator UDALL. Okay. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Cortez Masto, any other questions? 

Senator CORTEZ MASTO. No. 

The CHAIRMAN. Okay, if there are no more questions, members 

may also submit follow-up written questions for the record, and the 

hearing record will be open for two weeks. 

Again, I want to thank the witnesses for your time and your testimony. We appreciate it very much. 

This hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 4:08 p.m., the hearing was concluded.] 

(65) 

A P P E N D I X 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. BILL JOHN BAKER, PRINCIPAL CHIEF, CHEROKEE

NATION


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