Editorial Board
Avoiding the Census Fiasco of 2020
More is at stake than you might think.
Stand up and be counted.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesEver since the U.S. conducted its first decennial census in 1790, an accurate count of the nation’s people has been a vital federal responsibility. The Constitution requires it, and the government can’t work properly without it. The fact that the census of 2020 is shaping up to be a fiasco is no small matter.
The troubles at the Census Bureau aren’t new. Nonetheless it falls to President Donald Trump to fix the problem -- and to do this, he’ll need to move quickly.