WASHINGTON — The U.S. Census Bureau is launching a test to see if it can accurately count Americans abroad — after Utah complained that the 2000 Census robbed it of an extra U.S. House seat by not including its overseas LDS missionaries.

And, in what should be music to Utah politicians, "We are working to get questionnaires delivered directly to Mormon church mission presidents in the three countries" where the test is occurring: Mexico, France and Kuwait, said Kathleen Styles, manager of the project.

But Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon says his agency is finding so many problems in just those three friendly countries to clearly show that "the task is daunting." And — depending on how well the test finally ends — Congress may decide against a worldwide count in the next full census in 2010.

The issue heated up when Utah was initially told it missed gaining a fourth U.S. House seat (which went to North Carolina) by just 857 residents after the 2000 Census. Errors identified later show Utah was actually short by about 80 residents.

Utahns complained because the state easily had more LDS missionaries than that living abroad. But the only U.S. citizens living in foreign countries who were counted in 2000 were members of the military, other federal workers and their families.

Congress ordered the Census Bureau to test the feasibility of counting citizens abroad. Mexico, France and Kuwait were chosen for that test, which began Monday, to help examine any problems from their differing size, government type, culture, geography and the diversity of Americans likely living there.

"This test marks the first time the Census Bureau will try to count all U.S. citizens living in foreign countries," Kincannon said, so it has no old road map to follow.

He added that it "is not an easy task. We can't, after all, use the techniques that we use in this country" — such as mailing questionnaires to every residential address, and following up with armies of enumerators knocking on the doors of those who didn't mail back questionnaires.

Complicating matters, he said, "The U.S. government does not maintain information on the addresses of U.S. citizens living abroad, nor does the government maintain an exact — or even a general — count of Americans living abroad. We don't count Americans leaving the country."

For the test, the bureau is allowing Americans abroad to fill out questionnaires online at www.census.gov/overseas04. They may respond anytime through July.