Santa Clara County officials voice concerns about 2020 Census accuracy

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Although the 2020 Census is nearly three years away, Santa Clara County officials are raising concerns about its potential inaccuracies and how millions of dollars in federal funds could be at stake based on those eventual figures.

Supervisors Cindy Chavez and Ken Yeager, who both represent diverse districts in the county, are worried about the Trump Administration's on-going delay in appointing a Census Bureau director. Furthermore, they say communities with higher amounts of people of color and/or lower-economic statuses are more likely to be undercounted by census officials.

The census, which is supposed to be an accurate count of the country's population, often forms the basis for political, economic and social decisions that affects the everyday lives of Americans. Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the census is to be conducted every 10 years, and collects information to help determine how more than $600 billion in federal funds are allocated each year to local and state governments.

ABC7 News spoke to Supervisors Chavez and Yeager about their concerns, and what the county plans to do in order to ensure the most accurate count possible.

We'll also be meeting with representatives from a local immigrant services organization on why people may be reluctant to take part in the census and learn more about their efforts to help spread the word about the importance of this process.