has denied any attempts to systemically falsify information during the 2020 census, which is vital to determining the allocation of congressional seats and federal spending.
But the AP has chronicled similar instructions sent to census takers in other U.S. regions.Census Bureau spokesman Michael Cook said the agency is investigating the Alabama case and has not identified any data irregularities.
When there appear to be problems with data collection, the bureau can take steps such as revisiting households to improve accuracy, he said.“We take falsification allegations very seriously," Cook said.More than two dozen census takers and supervisors have contacted the AP since the beginning of the month, telling similar stories about corners cut.