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Learn the process for maintaining and processing incomplete voter registrations, including contacting voters by mail and phone. Find out how long voters have to provide missing information and best practices for handling incomplete applications.
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2012 IVRA Conference Voter List Maintenance & Processing Incomplete Registrations
Processing Incomplete Registrations • SOP VRG 1.3 (Amended in 2011) • Process applications in SVRS and place in “Incomplete Hopper” • Contact voter by mail and phone (if avail.)
How long does voter have to provide missing information? • DEPENDS ON WHAT IS MISSING • 29 days out to answer age and citizenship questions • 10 days out to provide all other missing information IC 3-7-34-3
DEPENDS ON WHAT IS MISSING • Age and citizenship must be answered in writing • Signature or voter’s mark must also be provided in writing • All other missing items can be provided over the phone and county user completes the application • Best practices—county user should initial items obtained over the phone and filled in by user.
What to do when application remains incomplete • 10 days out--certify a list of those outstanding incompletes to CEB • Upon certification, reject outstanding incomplete applications • Send disposition notice to voter
Why? • Federal and State law require counties to remove ineligible voters • The other half of registering voters
Methods of removing ineligible voters • Voter’s request (form in SVRS) • DOH hopper-SOP VRG 3.1 • DOC hopper-SOP VRG 12.1 • Change of Address/County list maintenance program-SOP VRG 58.2 • State’s list maintenance program-Summer ’06 See also NCOA Step by Step memo, 2009
County’s List Maintenance Program • Cannot simply remove voter’s for failure to vote • Must be uniform and nondiscriminatory • Complete at least 90 days prior to an election (except DOH, DOC, and voter’s request) • IC 3-7-38.2-2
4 Steps to a county list maintenance program due to change of address Step #1--Identify a voter who may have a “bad” address by using one of the following: * USPS National Change of Address * Jury Notice * BMV notice that voter surrendered license in another jurisdiction * Returned mailing sent to ALL county’s registered voters (Use SVRS for tracking)
CAUTION • County must review returned mail and make a determination as to why the mail was returned. • Only proceed to step #2 after determining the address is not the voter’s current address
Why is mail returned by USPS? • USPS has 23 reasons to return mail to sender • Addressee signed a PS 3575 Form-Change of Address form (proceed to step #2) • House number or street name incorrect (if data entry error, do not proceed to step #2) • Address unreadable/smudged or damaged (do not proceed to step #2) • Resident refused to accept service (determine reason given)
Other reasons mail is returned • Postage missing or insufficient (do not proceed to step #2) • Addressee temporarily away (do not proceed to step #2) • Mailbox missing (do not proceed to step #2) • Mailbox inaccessible (ex. snow or dogs) (do not proceed to step #2)
Only proceed to Step #2 upon determining that there might be a problem with the integrity of the address not other problems leading to inability to deliver mail
Steps to a county list maintenance program • Step #2—Send an NCOA or address confirmation mailing to voter identified above • Must include postage prepaid return card • Use SVRS’s NCOA letter See attached sample NCOA letter
Steps to a county list maintenance program • Step #3—Take action based upon response to NCOA mailing • Inactivate voters who don’t respond w/in 30 days • Update SVRS if voter returns card indicating still at same address • Update SVRS if voter returns card indicating move w/in the county • Cancel record if voter returns card indicating a move outside of county.
“Voter Update” If voter returns NCOA and indicates voter has moved w/in county, user performs a “voter update” in SVRS and sends a new acknowledgement card. If voter returns NCOA and indicates voter moved outside the county, user performs a “voter update”, selects “change status” and “cancels” the voter’s record.
Steps in a county list maintenance program • Step #4-Cancel “inactive” voters who don’t vote, appear to vote or update record following two (2) federal, general elections AFTER updating vote history for the most recent election. • When a user updates someone’s vote history, SVRS automatically returns an “inactive” voter to “active” status
For an incomplete application, can a voter supply his date of birth over the phone?
Did the county handle the situation below correctly? • Applicant submits a VRG-7 but omits to provide his or her gender. County calls voter who provides his or her gender over the phone. County completes the application and processes the application, sending a voter an acknowledgement card.
Did the county handle the situation below correctly? • County has 15 applicants in the incomplete hopper due to missing items on the application. 5 applications contain phone numbers. County called the 5 applicants that listed a phone no. and mailed notice to the other 10. All 15 applications remain incomplete 10 days before the election. The county prepares a certified list of all the incomplete application, presents it to the CEB, and rejects the applications.
Did the county handle the situation below correctly? • County sent all voters over the age of 95 an NCOA letter asking them to confirm their address. 150 letters are returned as undeliverable and the post office indicated that 5 addressees are deceased. The county indicated 150 voters’ records are now “inactive” and canceled the 5 records of those the USPS indicated were deceased.
Did the county handle the situation below correctly? • County sent out postcards to voters notifying them of their new polling location. 275 cards were returned by the USPS. County sent an NCOA letter to the 275 voters, including postage prepaid on a return notice. 150 voters did not respond to the NCOA letter by the end of the 30th day. County marked the 150 voters as “inactive”
