‘Whoa, that’s not right’: Georgia towns lead census appeals

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
Associated Press

When officials in Chester, Georgia, heard that the 2020 census had pegged their small town at 525 people, their jaws dropped. They believed the town was almost triple that size and feared an inaccurate number would force them to make budget cuts. Chester and two other small municipalities in Georgia are the first communities in the U.S. to challenge the accuracy of their numbers from the once-a-decade head count that determines political representation and federal funding. Chester, the city of Glennville and White County have filed applications with the Census Bureau seeking changes to their official numbers.