ESPANOLA, New Mexico ¨C Getting an accurate count of America¡¯s population has proven difficult in the 2020 Census as the coronavirus pandemic has hampered voluntary responses and forced officials to scale back door-knocking efforts.
The administration of President Donald Trump has placed other hurdles on the path to an accurate count. Its attempt to add a question about citizenship to the census earlier this year likely discouraged undocumented immigrants from filling out the survey, even though the administration¡¯s effort failed, demographics experts say. Local officials nationwide worry about the impact of undercounts on their communities.
¡°This is going to be the worst response rate we¡¯ve ever had,¡± said Lauren Reichelt, Health and Human Services Director for Rio Arriba County, New Mexico.
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