Although the Census Bureau says it was more accurate this time around, it still believes that the official census headcount missed many minorities. For example, it undercounted about 2.77 percent to 6.71 percent of Native Americans on reservations, 1.6 percent to 2.73 percent of blacks, and 2.22 percent to 3.48 percent of Hispanics, who can be of any race. The count was more accurate for Asians and whites. President Bush has not said whether he will allow the release of adjusted numbers along with the actual count due by April 1, but as a candidate, he said he favored making the actual count the official one. In Washington, most Democrats have lined up to support using adjusted figures, arguing that it is fairer.
Republicans are generally against it, arguing that a true headcount is the best number.
Minorities tend to vote heavily Democratic. On Wednesday, the bureau reported that it believes that the undercount ranged from 0.96 percent to 1.4 percent of the population. The net undercount in 1990 was 1.6 percent of the population, or about 4 million people. The concerns are not just political because so many government programs and business plans are based on the census. When private companies make decisions, they're looking at census figures.