On November 4, the Census Bureau published a Federal Register Notice (FRN) outlining plans to test updated decennial census Group Quarters Advanced Contact Operation (GQAC) methods in the 2026 Census Test. In this FRN, the Bureau proposes a plan to rely primarily on electronic (Web-Based) exchange of information to prepare for the Group Quarter (GQ) enumeration, with In-Office and then In-Person contact as back-up methods. The Bureau will determine whether use of a secure Web-Based portal to send and receive information from GQs during the Advance Contact phase will improve data quality and operational efficiency, both for the GQAC and GQ Enumeration operations.
The 60-day comment period ends on December 23, 2024.