Redistricting Data Program Verification Phase Plan

Redistricting Data Program; Phase 2; Voting District/Block Boundary Suggestion Project

The U.S. Census Bureau requests specific approval for the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program; Phase 2; Voting District/Block Boundary Suggestion Project (VTD/BBSP), which is covered under the generic clearance called the Geographic Partnership Programs (GPPs), OMB Control No. 0607-0795.

This request is for approval of the verification phase.

Under the provisions of Public Law (P.L.) 94–171 (Title13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)), the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau is required to provide the states with the opportunity to specify geographic areas, such as voting districts and state legislative districts, for which they wish to receive decennial census population totals. In order to comply with P.L. 94-171, the Census Bureau offers each state the opportunity to participate in the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program. Participation is optional and designated state liaisons coordinate the participation and submission process with the Census Bureau.

Voting District (VTD) is a generic term that describes the administrative areas used by each state to conduct elections, for example precincts or wards. Phase 2 of the 2010 Census Redistricting Data Program involves the collection of VTD boundaries, names, and codes, block boundary suggestions, and any necessary corrections to SLD boundaries and names and Congressional District boundaries. These boundaries are collected by the Census Bureau and inserted into the MAF/TIGER database (MTDB).

As part of the verification of the VTD/BBSP, participating state liaisons have the opportunity to use the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software with Census Bureau supplied verification shapefiles or the Web Viewer tool to review and verify that their submitted information is correct in the MTDB. They also are permitted to add certain road features that may be missing. If a participant finds cases where their proposed submissions have not been incorporated into the MTDB correctly, the participant will notify the Census Bureau so that we can make the necessary corrections before the final 2010 tabulation geography is created.

The verification materials are shipped in February of 2010. The attachments to this document include examples of all the materials required to complete the verification phase and are accompanied by an explanation of the purpose for each product. The estimate of average hours per respondent for the verification review is 80 hours. We anticipate that approximately 51 participants will respond. The Fiscal Year 2010 estimate of respondent burden hours is 4,080 hours.

The contact person for questions regarding the VTD/BBSP is:

Linda Franz

Assistant Division Chief, Geographic Partnerships

Geography Division

Washington, DC 20233

(301) 763-9039