Even though some doubts have been raised about its effectiveness, the U.S. Census Bureau is trying out whether to use U.S. postal carriers as census takers this spring during a test of the 2030 head count in two southern cities — a practice run already facing criticism over last-minute changes by the Trump administration.
Starting in June, dozens of postal carriers in Spartanburg, South Carolina and Huntsville, Alabama will ask personal questions about race, ethnicity and the relationships of residents in households that haven't responded to a test census questionnaire online. Invitations to respond to the test online go out to 154,600 residents in both cities starting May 1, according to new details the Census Bureau released Monday.
The practice run is meant to try out new methods for the once-a-decade census, which determines political power and the distribution of federal funds.
