[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29276-29277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13506]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

[Docket Number 170412386-7386-01]


2020 Census Redistricting Data Program Commencement of Phase 2: 
The Voting District Project

AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of program.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the commencement of Phase 2 of the 2020 
Census Redistricting Data Program: The Voting District Project. This 
second phase specifically provides States the opportunity to provide 
the Census Bureau with their voting district boundaries (election 
precincts, wards, etc.). In addition, States have the opportunity to 
suggest to the Census Bureau legal boundary updates. State 
participation in Phase 2 of the Redistricting Data Program is 
voluntary.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by July 28, 2017. The 
deadline for States to notify the Census Bureau that they wish to 
participate in Phase 2: The Voting District Project is December 15, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Please address all written comments to James Whitehorne, 
Chief of the Census Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office, U.S. 
Census Bureau, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Room 4H057, Washington, DC 20233.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Whitehorne, Chief of the Census 
Redistricting and Voting Rights Data Office, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 
4H057, Washington, DC 20233, telephone (301) 763-4039.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the provisions of Public Law 94-171, 
as amended (Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)), the 
Director of the Census Bureau is required to provide the ``officers or 
public bodies with initial responsibility for legislative apportionment 
or districting of each state . . .'' with the opportunity to specify 
small geographic areas (e.g., voting districts, wards, and election 
precincts) for which they wish to receive decennial census population 
totals for the purpose of reapportionment and redistricting.
    By April 1 of the year following the census, the Secretary is 
required to furnish those State officials or their designees with 
population counts for counties, cities, census blocks, and State-
specified congressional districts, legislative districts, and voting 
districts.
    In accordance with the provisions of Title 13, U.S.C. Section 
141(c), and on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, the Director 
announces the commencement of Phase 2 of the 2020 Census Redistricting 
Data Program. The purpose of this notice is to provide further 
information on the commencement of the 2020 Census Redistricting Data 
Program, Phase 2--The Voting District Project. Future Federal Register 
notices will address the other phases of the 2020 Program.
    The 2020 Census Redistricting Data Program was initially announced 
on July 15, 2014, in the Federal Register (79 FR 41258). This notice 
described the program that the Census Bureau proposed to adopt for the 
2020 Census. As seen in the 1990, 2000, and 2010 censuses, the 2020 
Census Redistricting Data Program is partitioned into several phases. 
Phase 1: The Block Boundary Suggestion Project was announced in a 
Federal Register notice on June 26, 2015 (80 FR 36765). This notice 
described the procedures for the States to provide the Census Bureau 
with their suggestions for the 2020 Census tabulation block inventory.
    Beginning in late summer of 2017, and by separate letter, the 
Census Bureau will invite each state to participate in Phase 2, the 
Voting District Project, through their previously designated liaison. 
This phase will include an opportunity to submit voting districts and 
then verify the submitted voting districts prior to release of the 2020 
redistricting data tabulations in Phase 3. For each State responding by 
December 15, 2017, that wishes to participate in Phase 2, the Census 
Bureau will provide data from the Master Address File/Topologically 
Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system (MAF/TIGER), an 
optional software tool (Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS)), 
and the procedures necessary for each State to begin work on Phase 2. 
States are not required to use the GUPS; however, they are required to 
provide their Phase 2 submission to the Census Bureau electronically in 
Census Bureau specified formats. During the submission period, the 
Census Bureau will provide training in the use of the GUPS and assist 
the states in understanding the procedures necessary for processing 
files for their submission.
    The Census Bureau will continue to communicate with each State to 
ensure they are well informed on the benefits of working with the 
Census Bureau towards a successful 2020 Census. In addition, the 
Redistricting Data Office will continue to work with each State to 
ensure they are prepared to participate in all phases of the 
Redistricting Data Program. Every State, regardless of their

[[Page 29277]]

participation in Phase 1 or Phase 2, will receive the official 
redistricting data sets, as required by Public Law 94-171, in Phase 3 
of the Redistricting Data Program.

    Dated: June 21, 2017.
 John H. Thompson,
 Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 2017-13506 Filed 6-27-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P