Thread: Census won't count missionaries abroad

Census won't count missionaries abroad

SALT LAKE CITY – The U.S. Census Bureau has told Utah's elected leaders it won't count Mormon missionaries serving overseas in the nation's next head count.

Census Bureau officials, rejecting Utah's lobbying efforts for the better part of a decade, say there's no way to reliably count the overseas missionaries.

Utah leaders say the omission cost the state an extra congressional seat in 2000, when the state fell just 857 people short of receiving the last available slot in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Census Bureau does count military and federal employees serving overseas, and Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, says it should include Mormons on proselytizing missions.

“The bottom line should still be fairness and accuracy,â€

This stinks to high heaven! They won't count American citizens temporarily overseas if they are missionaries, but the will count the millions of illegals in this country.

[quote]An experiment in counting Americans abroad in 2004 turned into a “colossal failure,â€

Never thought about the evil-minded, but missionaries? I am sure the church will know where they are. And it should be mandatory for the church to influence their missionaries to respond to the census, especially if it means losing a congressional seat, especially since these days election rhetoric is delivered from the pulpit, and churches seem to have an opinion about all sorts of legislation and try to influence.

Originally Posted by vortex

Never thought about the evil-minded, but missionaries? I am sure the church will know where they are. And it should be mandatory for the church to influence their missionaries to respond to the census, especially if it means losing a congressional seat, especially since these days election rhetoric is delivered from the pulpit, and churches seem to have an opinion about all sorts of legislation and try to influence.

What about counting the other 6 MILLION Americans who are out of the country?

They could influence congressional seats all over the country.

A government consulting firm, Election Data Services, estimates that 6 million Americans are living overseas.