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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 29 February 2020
Census hiccups in Alaska may offer preview for rest of U.S.

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and Starting in May, hundreds and say, 'Where am I going temporary work conditions with no experience leading
MARK THIESSEN of thousands of census tak- next?' And you really don't of the census, specifically in folks with no experience,"
Associated Press ers will be sent to homes get an answer." remote Alaska," the state- he said.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) nationwide to knock on Schramm and Patterson ment said. "We alert our When it comes to what to
— More than a month into wear in Alaska, the bureau
the start of the 2020 cen- says it provided census tak-
sus in rural Alaska, some ers with a suggested pack-
workers going door to door ing list that included gear
have grown frustrated by for the harsh weather, but
not knowing when they will the workers were told they
get their next assignments. wouldn't be reimbursed for
Others have bought gear additional purchases.
to protect against the bru- Parts of remote Alaska
tal cold only to find out have low internet con-
they're not getting paid nectivity so the Census Bu-
back. reau has been using paper
And a smartphone app to payroll as a backup for its
log hours worked is difficult time-sheet app to "ensure
to use in the field, census employees receive pay on
takers told The Associated time."
Press. Field supervisors also text or
The counting underway in call in census takers' hours,
America's last frontier may the agency said.
preview some of the chal- Patterson and Schramm
lenges that could crop up said they have heard from
as the rest of the country is other census workers about
counted this spring. not getting paid on time.
And while conditions in "We do everything we can
rural Alaska pose unique to ensure our employees
obstacles, both logistically are paid on time," the Cen-
and weather wise, some of sus Bureau statement said.
the nuts-and-bolts hiccups Lawmakers on the House
that have surfaced point to Oversight and Reform
a learning curve for what Committee raised con-
the Census Bureau touts as cerns this month about
the largest peacetime op- whether key technology for
eration that the U.S. gov- the 2020 census was ready.
ernment undertakes. The committee knows
"The IT system goes down. In this Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 photo, Stephan Patterson poses for a photo in Anchorage, Alaska. about the concerns over
You can't log in your time Associated Press census technology in Alas-
or expenses, or your train- ka and is seeking more in-
ing or your regular work," formation, according to a
said Stephan Patterson, a the doors of residents who say some census takers census takers that at times committee statement.
census taker from Palmer, haven't answered the have quit, either because we may need to stay in Another census taker in
roughly 40 miles (64 kilome- questionnaire yet. The Cen- they weren't getting paid schools or gyms when enu- Alaska, Cynthia, who only
ters) northeast of Anchor- sus Bureau is planning on enough to cover their bills merating a village. We try wanted her first name used
age, Alaska's largest city. hiring up to 500,000 tem- or because conditions to make the accommoda- for fear of losing her job,
Census takers started flying porary workers to help with were harsher than expect- tions as best as possible." wished there had been
out to rural Alaska villages the once-a-decade count ed. Census takers in Alaska are more survival training for
in January to join local hires that determines how $1.5 The canvassing takes place getting paid $28 an hour census takers from outside
in questioning residents in trillion in federal spending is in frigid weather in villages for work in the field. Alaska who are not accus-
person. distributed and how many where sometimes the only The Census Bureau pays for tomed to the harsh winter
Mail service is spotty and in- congressional seats each place to sleep is on the floor their transportation to the conditions.
ternet connectivity is unreli- state gets. of a government building. remote villages, provides Temperatures can drop to
able, making door-to-door In Alaska, census taker Carl In a statement, the Census cellphones and gives them 40 below zero.
canvassing the best way to Schramm said he's had fun Bureau said the turnover a per diem for expenses. While the smartphone app
gather responses. The vil- going to rugged territory. rate for hires for the rural But Alaska has one of the could have been more
lages get a head start on But he said it's inconsistent Alaska count has been highest costs of living of user-friendly, the bureau's
the census because many work. Some census takers lower than expected and anywhere in the U.S., and hardworking IT workers
people scatter in the spring have become frustrated, some trips have been re- a gallon of milk can cost "have been very calm and
to subsistence hunting and he said, by having to wait scheduled because of un- more than $10. very nice" in helping her use
fishing grounds. at home for their next as- predictable weather. Because the census only it when she had problems,
The rest of the nation will get signment without any guid- The agency said Friday that happens every 10 years, she said.
the chance to answer the ance or pay. the retention rate has been there's no institutional "There are glitches, but
2020 questionnaire starting "A lack of communication about 90% for hires, who in- knowledge among super- you have to think about
in mid-March, either online, is the No. 1 problem," said clude 172 local census tak- visors when questions arise, how many people they're
by mail or by telephone. Schramm, a retiree from ers, 158 census takers from such as how to classify a handling," she said, refer-
This is the first count in Wasilla. "You don't know outside rural Alaska villages salmon-canning factory ring to the Census Bureau.
which the Census Bureau is basically what's happening and 125 field supervisors. where workers are living or "They do it every 10 years,
encouraging a majority of from day to day. "We do everything we can a trailer that's not listed on so I think they tend to forget
people to answer the ques- When you get back from to communicate to our any map, Schramm said. some things. It's a learning
tions online. an assignment, you call census takers about the "To some extent, it's folks curve for everybody."q