The director of the US Census Bureau has been holding consultations with Native American and Alaska Native leaders as the 2020 Census approaches.
John Thompson met with North Dakota tribal officials at United Tribes in Bismarck. He says it is the first of many consultations between now and the taking of the Census. Thompson says the 2020 Census will be quite a bit different from previous counts.
"We're using the Internet as a primary self-response method," Thompson said. "We are collecting information from the people who don't self-respond, using hand-held devices such as iPhones or Android phones, and using automation to track that."
Thompson says the Census Bureau wants to work with the tribes.
"We want the tribes to name a tribal liaison, so that we can make sure the methodology we would use on any particular reservation or tribal area will meet the needs of that area," said Thompson. "And we'll get an accurate count."
Thompson says in the past census, tribal leaders believed their people were under-counted.