CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA) in Washington, D.C., is asking President Clinton, U.S. Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley, and members of Congress to "include statistical sampling in the decennial census." The U.S. Constitution requires that citizens be counted every 10 years to determine the number and districts of representatives in the U.S. House.
Statistical sampling uses projections to account for certain citizens who may not have been counted in previous national censuses. Opponents say such projections may skew results disproportionately, giving higher than accurate totals for those previously missed.
"It is simply not fair to exclude statistical sampling as part of the plan when we know from past experience that without it homeless people, children and minorities will be overlooked," the Rev. Russell O. Siler, LOGA's director, and Kay A. Bengston, assistant director, wrote Feb. 5.
"We believe that to use only a plan that in the past has inaccurately counted some of the most vulnerable people in our society is not acceptable," they wrote.
LOGA is the federal public policy advocacy office of the 5.2 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce "confirmed that the 1990 census missed 8.4 million people and double-counted 4.4 million others," Siler and Bengston wrote. "Children, poor people, people of color, city dwellers and people who live in rural rental homes were missed more often than others. Two million children were left out, the highest undercount of all."
Siler and Bengston said the National Academy of Sciences recommended the use of statistical sampling to get the most accurate, fair and cost effective count possible. The U.S. Supreme Court decided recently, however, that statistical sampling would violate the Census Act if it is used to determine the allocation of congressional seats.
The LOGA letters recommend using statistical sampling for a count that does not determine congressional representation. Siler and Bengston said 1976 amendments to the Census Act require two sets of census numbers and that if the Secretary of Commerce says sampling is feasible, it must be used in the next census.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
