Washington – AP (WBAP/KLIF) – President Joe Biden says he’ll pick the president of the American Statistical Association to lead the U.S. Census Bureau as it works toward releasing data from the 2020 census that will be used for redrawing congressional and legislative districts.
If confirmed, Robert Santos, a Mexican American from San Antonio, would become the first person of color to serve as a permanent director of the Census Bureau, the nation’s largest statistical agency. Santos currently is vice president and chief methodologist at the Urban Institute.
The Texas native is an expert in survey sampling. He has 40 years of experience in survey design and social science and policy research.
Santos acknowledged the forthcoming nomination on Twitter:
Thanks to everyone for their support in reaction to the WH intent to nominate me for Dir. of the @uscensusbureau, an institution whose mission & staff I have always admired, and whose work I greatly value. I find myself both humbled & honored as the nominations process unfolds.
— Rob Santos (@_Rob_Santos) April 14, 2021
In a related story, 16 states are backing Alabama’s challenge to a new method the Census Bureau is using in an effort to protect the privacy of people who participated in the head count.
A judge on Monday allowed the 16 states to file briefs in a support of a lawsuit brought by Alabama last month.
Alabama’s lawsuit seeks to stop the Census Bureau from adding intentional errors to the data. Bureau officials say the change is needed to prevent data miners from matching individuals to confidential details.
The states are Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
