Americans Abroad Are Undercounted in US Census

This may come as a surprise to many Americans living abroad. None of them will recall having been approached by a census taker or having had to complete a census form. Moreover, official State Department estimates of Americans living abroad, which, are bound to be substantial underestimates, (see Autumn '93 News Report) refer to an American population abroad of about 2.6 million persons. Other estimates vary widely, ranging between 2.5 and five million.

The explanation for this astoundingly low census figure for Americans abroad is that it comprises only, in the words of the US Bureau of Census, "selected components of the overseas population." These selected components consist of members of the Armed Forces, Federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them abroad. They were not counted by census takers but by review of the administrative records of the Department of Defense and 29 other Federal departments and agencies having American employees abroad. No attempt was made to count private US citizens residing abroad.

ACA is vitally interested in determining the number of American citizens residing abroad and believes that a way can be found for the national census to arrive at a reasonably accurate count of these citizens. Why is an accurate count so important?

• (1) The psychological and political impact of including all Americans abroad in the national censuses cannot be overestimated. How can Americans abroad be recognized as a valuable national asset when we do not even know how many they are? And how can the US Government address specific concerns of Americans abroad when certain vital statistics about them are not available? Such information would certainly help Americans abroad to present issues to the Administration and Congress with greater authority and credibility.

• (2) ACA is convinced that excluding most Americans abroad from the census count is unconstitutional. The main constitutional purpose of the census is to apportion congressional representatives among the States in order to achieve an equitable representation in the Congress of the populations of the several States (see Constitution Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3, and its 14th Amendment, section 2). Should the census be permitted to ignore the existence of citizens entitled to vote and to be represented in the House of Representatives? Since Congress has decided that Americans residing abroad are entitled to vote in Federal elections in the congressional districts in which they last resided, they logically must be included in the national census. Otherwise, equitable apportionment of representatives among States (required by the constitution) is impossible.

  Exclusion of most Americans residing abroad from the census distorts the congressional apportionment process. This was not intended by the framers of the Constitution. Some States may have lost representatives in the House because Americans abroad were not counted in the last census and therefore not taken into account in the subsequent apportionment of representatives among the several States. Other States might have gained representatives if Americans residing abroad and entitled to vote in these States would have been included in the census and taken into account in the subsequent apportionment process.

• (3) The inclusion of only "selected components of the overseas population" (i.e. members of the Armed Forces, Federal civilian employees and their dependents living with them) in the State population counts for purposes of calculating congressional apportionment raises another constitutional issue. By what right, law or constitutional provision are certain Americans residing abroad taken into account in calculating congressional apportionment while other Americans residing abroad, with the same rights and obligations as citizens of the US and in particular with the same right to vote for congressional representatives in the States of their last residence, are ignored for purposes of congressional apportionment? Surely there is something wrong here. Surely the Constitution does not make a distinction between categories of Americans abroad entitled to vote in the same State who should and who should not be included in the State population counts for purposes of congressional apportionment.

ACA has brought the concerns of Americans abroad to the attention of the Bureau of the Census, and has received the following reply from the Associate Director for Decennial Census: "You are correct in noting that including US citizens residing abroad in the census presents constitutional/legal issues, as well as operational hurdles.... We do not know at this time how we will address the issue of US citizens living abroad for the census in the year 2000. Much will depend upon circumstances that will evolve as we approach the 2000 census, such as the ability to obtain accurate, comprehensive, objective, and verifiable information; direction from Congress; availability of funding.... Your letter raises several important points, and we will take them into consideration as we plan for the next census.... We would appreciate your providing us with any additional suggestions or viewpoints developed by American Citizens Abroad on the census process."

ACA's Executive Committee will review various possibilities of including Americans residing abroad in the census of the year 2000 on the basis of "accurate, comprehensive, objective, and verifiable information." It seeks new ideas in order to meet the challenge put to ACA by the Bureau of the Census. Please forward ideas on how Americans abroad could best be counted in the next national census.

For further information: Technical Paper 62 entitled "Americans Overseas in the US Censuses," S/N 003-024-008733-2, US Government Printing Office, Wash DC 20402, $5.50; or write ACA for an extended version of its position paper on "Americans Abroad and the US Census."

                    
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