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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is in danger of losing at least one congressional seat based on its current response rate to the U.S. Census, officials said Tuesday.
Gov. Kay Ivey, during a progress report on the state’s standing with the national head count, said the state’s current participation rate is 59.8%, or 2 percentage points behind the national average.
While the state’s performance is better than that of some Southern neighbors, state Census leader Kenneth Boswell said Alabama would lose one of its seven U.S. House seats and possibly two if the counting ended now.
Some $13 billion in annual federal funding for programs including school nutrition, health care, infrastructure and housing also is at stake with the Census, which occurs every 10 years.
With the push to promote the Census being affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the state has hired a publicity firm to help spread the word, Boswell said. Events are being planned including a “statewide day of action,” when employers will be asked to let workers complete the Census while on the job.