The U.S. Census Bureau is set to include a citizenship question in a practice test for the 2030 census. The United States Census Bureau intends to utilize a survey form containing a citizenship question as part of its practice test for the 2030 census, raising doubts about whether the Trump administration will attempt to make big changes to the once-a-decade headcount that failed during the president’s first term.
The field test in Huntsville, Alabama, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, is using questions from the American Community Survey, a broad survey of American life, rather than questions from the most recent census, reports PBS News. The ACS has a question titled “Is this person a citizen of the United States?” Citizenship questions are not meant to be asked on census forms, and they have not been for 75 years.
Last August, Trump directed the Commerce Department to have the Census Bureau begin work on a new census that will omit illegal immigrants from the population count.
The Constitution’s 14th Amendment says “the whole number of persons in each state” should be counted for the numbers used for apportionment, the process of divvying up congressional seats, and Electoral College votes among the states. The Census Bureau has interpreted that to mean anybody living in the U.S., regardless of legal status.
In his first term, President Donald Trump attempted to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census and signed orders to exclude undocumented individuals from apportionment figures while mandating citizenship data collection.
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the addition of a citizenship question, and both relevant orders were rescinded when President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, before the release of the 2020 census figures.
House Republicans have presented an amended voter suppression bill that would significantly weaken voting rights in the U.S. in anticipation of the 2026 midterm elections.
The latest version of the SAVE America Act removes a previously included provision that mandated voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship at polling places.
The proposed bill necessitates that potential voters provide either a passport or a birth certificate for voter registration. A Brennan Center for Justice analysis indicates that approximately 21.3 million voters, or 9% of American citizens of voting age, do not readily have access to these documents.
The proof of citizenship requirements could complicate registration for many individuals, especially the approximately 69 million women who changed their last names upon marriage, as their names may not match those on official documents such as passports or birth certificates.
US is also implementing measures to ensure foreigners align with American values before obtaining citizenship. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has implemented the new 2025 Naturalization Civics Test for green card holders seeking U.S. citizenship starting October 20, 2025. This new test will pose greater challenges, including a higher number of questions that require a deeper understanding of American history, government, and politics.