Group Urges Census Bureau to Withdraw Rules
Right to Democracy says proposed changes would drop race and ethnicity questions from the 2030 census.
Updated on Nov. 8, 2026 in Civic Engagement
Right to Democracy has urged the U.S. Census Bureau to withdraw proposed census regulations that would remove questions about race and ethnicity from the decennial census. The group submitted its objections during the public comment period ahead of the 2 November deadline.
Why it matters
The proposed rules would also introduce residency criteria based partly on tax records and exclude certain non-citizen residents from population counts used for congressional representation. Changes to the 2030 census could further reduce the political visibility of territorial communities across the country.
The proposed regulations were announced on 10 September and would remove race and ethnicity questions from the decennial census. The rules do not yet explain how local government tax records would be treated, leaving key details unresolved.
The players
Right to Democracy
An advocacy group that submitted formal objections to the Census Bureau's proposed regulations during the public comment period.
U.S. Census Bureau
The federal agency responsible for conducting the decennial census and the American Community Survey, and the body that proposed the regulatory changes.
The details
Many residents of Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands file income tax returns with local governments rather than the Internal Revenue Service, and those territories are excluded from the American Community Survey. Right to Democracy has argued that the proposed changes would further weaken the visibility of these communities.
Timeline
10 September: Census Bureau announces proposed regulations.
2 November: Public comment deadline for the proposed regulations.
3 January to 1 April: Proposed census reference period.
2030: Next decennial census.
Political Context
Right to Democracy's objections frame the proposal as a departure from the decennial census's established race and ethnicity questions. The strongest counter-argument is that removing those questions and shifting residency criteria toward tax records would reduce representation for territorial and non-citizen communities.
Residents of U.S. territories and non-citizen residents could see their population counts and congressional representation affected under the proposed rules. Households in these communities would also face uncertainty about how local tax filings factor into residency determinations.
The takeaway
Changes to census questions and residency rules can reshape political representation for years, so public comment periods are a direct way for residents to weigh in. Readers in affected territories should watch for the final regulations before the 2030 census.
What happens next
The public comment period closes on 2 November, and the proposed reference period runs from 3 January to 1 April.
Further reading
For more on how census rules shape participation, explore Civic Engagement coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by RNZ.
