How Montana's 2020 census became "an uphill climb while it's hailing basketballs"

HELENA - Since February, Tylyn Newcomb has been losing sleep over a seemingly herculean task: how to ensure the government counts as many Montana residents as possible for the 2020 census, and, in doing so, generate fair federal funding and electoral representation for the next decade.

"I mean, it's vital work," said Newcomb, one of the lead staffers focused on census outreach and grant funding for the Montana Nonprofit Association. "And so we don't have the option to just give up and say it's too hard, there's too many barriers."

For Newcomb and other nonprofit and state employees, preparing...