WASHINGTON, D.C., (KNOE 8 News) - U.S. Sen. David Vitter today sent a second letter asking the U.S. Census Bureau to investigate survey errors in Louisiana from the 2010 census.
Vitter today demanded answers for errors in Monroe. The Senator expressed concerns that errors may result in inaccurate population measures that have affected Louisiana's congressional representation.
"This is now potentially the second major mistake by the Census Bureau that is all the more glaring given the fact that Louisiana is losing a Congressional seat as a result of the most recent census," Vitter said. "If the Census Bureau failed to count some Louisiana citizens, we need to know immediately, and not just in these two examples, but in the entire state. Their lack of response is unacceptable, and I'll continue demanding answers."
The complete text of Vitter's letter to the U.S. Census Bureau is below.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Director Robert Groves
United States Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Washington, DC 20233
Dear Director Groves:
I am following up with you regarding potential errors in Louisiana from the 2010 census. In May, I wrote to you[] asking for answers regarding potential errors in Washington Parish. Your response failed to answer all of my concrete, specific questions. Now, according to news reports, there appear to be serious errors and/or omissions in Monroe, Louisiana, also.
In addition to the concerns I've raised about Washington Parish that are still unanswered, I ask that you immediately look into the census problems in Monroe and answer the very legitimate questions I have posed before, restated below.
As I described in my previous letter, I was contacted late last year by several constituents in Washington Parish, Louisiana. They said that they were never contacted as part of the 2010 census process. These constituents knew of several other citizens in Washington Parish who were also never contacted.
In November 2011, my office brought this serious concern to the Census Bureau. In February 2012, my staff was informed by one of your representatives over the telephone that some residents and perhaps larger sections of Washington Parish were not included in the database to be contacted for the Census. In other words, they were completely skipped altogether and never counted. We were promised a formal, more detailed response. As stated above, we have never received that.
This Monroe issue is now potentially the second major mistake by the Census Bureau. This debacle is all the more glaring given the fact that Louisiana is losing a Congressional seat as a result of the most recent census.
There are a number of crucial questions that have not been answered, and I am again asking for a response from the Census Bureau regarding this problem:
1. Exactly how many people in what specific areas were ignored and not counted because of these oversights?
2. Were there any other Louisiana parishes, cities, towns, or neighborhoods that were overlooked in the 2010 census? If so, how many people does this represent?
3. Was the Census Bureau aware of this oversight before being contacted by my office? If so, what corrective action was taken before my contact?
4. What processes were put in place to keep this from happening as the census-taking strategies were mapped out prior to conducting the count?
5. Have there been any oversight problems in other states?
6. What, if any, procedures are in place to rectify this oversight and make sure Louisiana's census population figures are accurate?
7. Accurate apportionment and proper congressional representation are an extremely important aspect of our democratic form of government. If Louisiana citizens were deprived of this right, what can be done to rectify the problem?
I again ask that you send me the answers to the above questions as soon as possible, along with any other information that would help me make sure Louisiana is adequately represented. Please do not send me another vague, completely unresponsive letter.
Sincerely,
David Vitter
United States Senate
