And Republicans don't like the idea one bit. Republicans won a partial victory in the Supreme Court this year when the justices barred the use of adjusted numbers for apportioning 435 House seats among the states. It's become a hotly partisan issue. We know if you're not counted, you're not represented, and apparently some members of the Republican leadership don't want to count poor blacks and latinos. Blacks and latinos vote heavily for Democrats.
Republicans say they're being falsely accused of racism.
The Census Bureau plans to contact every household next year, first by mail, then by personal visit if needed. Then, take a sample of 300,000 households, an intense search to determine how many were missed. And based on that sample the bureau make adjustments to 7 million census blocks. But accuracy improves as those small blocks are combined into larger census tracts, and those in turn are lumped into congressional districts, averaging more than 600,000 persons each. At that level most experts say adjusted numbers would be more accurate.