Vernellia R. Randall, October 13 Deadline: Comment on the Proposed Census Race and Ethnicity Rule — Sample Comment Included, Racism.org (September 30, 2026).

The deadline to comment on the Census Bureau’s proposed rule concerning race and ethnicity questions in the decennial census is October 13, 2026.

A sample comment is included below that you can copy, personalize, and submit.

The proposed rule would prohibit questions about race and ethnicity from appearing on the decennial census short-form questionnaire or other questionnaires used to enumerate the population.

If you oppose this proposed restriction, submitting a public comment is one way to make your position part of the official administrative record.

You Can Comment Anonymously

You do not have to identify yourself publicly in order to submit a comment.

The Census Bureau states that anonymous comments will be accepted. If you want to remain anonymous, enter “N/A” in required identifying fields.

You do not have to include your telephone number, address, or other personal identifying information in the text of your comment.

Remember that information you voluntarily include in your comment may become part of the public record. Do not include personal information that you do not want publicly available.

Sample Comment Included — Copy, Personalize, and Submit

The sample comment below is provided to make commenting easier.

Do not simply submit it exactly as written.

Please add at least two or three sentences explaining why collecting race and ethnicity data matters to you, your organization, your profession, your community, or the people you serve.

A personal or organizational statement helps explain why you are commenting and why this proposed change matters.

Sample Comment

Re: Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions
Docket No. USBC-2026-0628

I oppose the proposed restriction that would prohibit questions about race and ethnicity from appearing on the decennial census questionnaire used to enumerate the population.

Race and ethnicity data remain essential for understanding the population of the United States and for identifying and documenting racial and ethnic disparities. Racial inequality does not disappear when government stops collecting the data necessary to measure it.

Removing race and ethnicity questions from the decennial enumeration would eliminate a direct, nationwide source of racial and ethnic population data from the census questionnaire. Although the Census Bureau could continue obtaining demographic information through the American Community Survey, administrative records, and other sources, those sources are not the same as directly collecting race and ethnicity information as part of the decennial census.

[PERSONALIZE HERE: Add at least two or three sentences explaining why these data matter to you, your organization, your profession, your community, or the people you serve. Give a concrete example whenever possible.]

Reliable racial and ethnic data are necessary to identify disparities, evaluate whether laws and programs are working equitably, conduct meaningful research, and hold public institutions accountable. A government cannot adequately measure racial inequality if it deliberately removes an important means of measuring race and ethnicity from the nation’s decennial enumeration.

I therefore ask the Census Bureau not to adopt the proposed restriction on collecting race and ethnicity information through the decennial census enumeration.

How to Submit Your Comment

Deadline: October 13, 2026

Go to Regulations.gov and submit your comment under:

Docket No. USBC-2026-0628

Copy the sample comment included above, personalize it, and paste your revised version into the comment form.

Remember

• The deadline is October 13, 2026.
• A sample comment is included above for you to use.
• Personalize the sample before submitting it.
• You may submit your comment anonymously.
• Enter “N/A” in required identifying fields if you wish to remain anonymous.
• You do not need to include your telephone number in the text of your comment.
• Do not include personal information you do not want made public.

Additional Background

For a fuller discussion of why removing race and ethnicity from the decennial census matters, see:

Vernellia R. Randall, “A Colorblind Census in a Racist Society: We Cannot Eliminate Racial Disparities by Refusing to Count Them.”

Read the full article on Racism.org.

 Vernellia R. Randall, Professor Emerita of Law, University of Dayton School of Law.  This article is the sole intellectual and scholarly work of Vernellia Randall. ChatGPT was used only as a drafting aid comparable to a research or editing assistant. All concepts, analysis, legal reasoning, interpretations, and conclusions are entirely the author’s own, and the author assumes full responsibility for the content.