The United States Census Bureau is holding a Tribal consultation on October 2, 2026, from 3:00–4:30 p.m. ET to hear from Tribal leaders about the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued on September 10, 2026.

Virtual Tribal Consultation
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 3:00–5:00 p.m. ET

Written Comments are due by November 2, 2026.

Submit comments electronically: Visit Regulations.gov, search for docket number USBC-2026-0628, select the “Comment” option, and enter or attach your comments.

Submit comments by mail:
U.S. Census Bureau
4600 Silver Hill Road
Designation: ADDEMO/FRN
Washington, DC 20746

Questions may be directed to Census Bureau Tribal Affairs Coordinator Dee Alexander at (301) 763-9335 or Dee.A.Alexander@census.gov.

Consultation Registration Link

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Dear Tribal Leader Letter

Information and Resources

If adopted, the proposed rule would fundamentally change how the 2030 census counts every person in the United States.

Of particular note, the rule would remove the Race/Ethnicity questions, thereby erasing all data about American Indian/Alaska Native populations in the country. This change would significantly impact funding for Indian Country and Alaska related to housing, community development, maternal health, and transportation.

The Census Bureau is providing only two weeks’ notice of the consultation, rather than its standard 30-day notice, citing operational deadlines for the 2030 Census and ongoing litigation related to the 2020 Census. NCAI strongly encourages Tribal leaders and officially designated representatives to participate in the consultation and submit comments for the official record.

Note: The comment period for the rulemaking has been extended for Tribal Nations and Tribal-serving organizations only. The public must provide comments by October 13, 2026, while Tribal Nations and Tribal-serving organizations have until November 2, 2026, to provide comments.

Please review the Dear Tribal Leader Letter for additional information and share this notice with the appropriate leaders and staff within your Tribal Nation.

NCAI has assembled an overview document, including next steps and more, as well as a letter submitted to the U.S. Census Bureau requesting additional Tribal Consultations on this subject, which can be used as a guide.

Please contact vote@ncai.org with any questions.

Additional Resources:

• NativeVote.org

• Public Comment Guide and Resources: handsoffourcens.us

• Messaging Toolkit: wearethedatacomms.us

• Native Civic Power Series: Sovereignty at the Ballot Box Webinar Recording

  • Voter Education in Native Communities Slide Deck

  • Native Civic Power Initiative: Native Power Resources Slide Deck

  • Get Out the Native Vote: The Alaska Federation of Natives, the First Alaskans Institute, and the Cook Inlet Tribal Council Slide Deck