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Q. Does an agency handling applications for Food Stamps or other state-funded assistance programs have to engage in voter registration activities?
A. Yes. The NVRA requires that every applicant for - or beneficiary of - such programs be asked if they wish to register. If the answer is "yes," agency employees must provide voter registration materials.
Q. Does an agency employee have to assist a client in the completion of voter registration forms?
A. Yes, if the client requests assistance. In such cases, the caseworker must give the same level of assistance as with any other form applicants must complete.
Q. When should a human services worker ask an applicant if they wish to register to vote?
A. Federal law requires that every individual completing an initial application for benefits, recertifying their eligibility for benefits or providing change of address information be provided with a form that asks if they would like to register to vote using specific language. If the agency application, recertification or change-of-address forms do not incorporate the voter registration question, a separate form must be attached with the voter registration question. If an individual does not respond to the voter registration question on the agency form, the human service worker should verbally ask the applicant if they would like to register when reviewing the form.
Q. Does an agency interacting with clients over the telephone, through the mail, or via the internet have to provide clients with the opportunity to register to vote?
A. Although the authors of the NVRA did not anticipate that public assistance agencies would increasing utilize the telephone and internet to deliver services, the NVRA Implementation Project strongly encourages agencies to incorporate voter registration into their remote transactions with clients. Remote transactions are becoming increasingly common and in some instances, individuals are now able to access certain benefits without ever entering a public assistance office. In order to fulfill the spirit of the NVRA, the NVRA Implementation Project advocates that these clients not be denied voter registration services. For more information on how voter registration can be incorporated into such interactions, please see Demos' guide to remote interactions (link).
Q. If an individual was not born in the United States, can he or she still register to vote?
A. Any U.S. citizen can register to vote. Individuals born in Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands are, like those born in the continental U.S., automatically citizens. Those born in other countries who have become naturalized citizens may register as well. Holders of "green cards" are not eligible to register or to vote.
Q. Can an ex-felon register to vote?
A. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia permit felons to vote while they are on parole and nineteen states and the District of Columbia permit them to vote while they are on probation. To learn more about felon voting issues, visit www.righttovote.org.
Q. If an individual registers, is he or she permanently registered?
A. No. If an individual moves - even to another apartment in the same building - he or she must re-register. The NVRA requires that public assistance recipients be offered the opportunity to register to vote when they provide notification of a change of address to a public assistance office. Registrants can only be removed from the voter rolls because of a move if they do not respond to a notice sent by the local elections office and fail to vote in two consecutive federal elections. So, if an individual has not voted in a long time, he or she should re-register. Finally, if individuals wish to change their political affiliation or their names, they must re-register.
Q. If an individual is homeless and has no permanent address, do they have the right to register and vote?
A. Yes. Every United States citizen has the right to register and vote. A person without a permanent address simply needs to describe a place where they live - a shelter, a train or bus station, a park, etc. - and provide a mailing address where election officials can mail a voter registration card, e.g. a relative who is willing to accept mail, a soup kitchen, a shelter.
Q. If an individual is 17 but will be 18 on Election Day, can he or she register?
A. Yes. To register, an individual simply needs to be 18 by the date of the next election.
Q. What is the deadline for voter registration?
A. The deadline for voter registration varies by state, typically falling between 30 and 10 days before the date of the general election. For information on your state, you can contact your local voting official or your state's Chief Elections Official. You can find the deadline for your state at: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/legman/elect/taskfc/deadlines.htm
Q. Does an individual have to join a political party when registering?
A. No. While individuals may choose to join a major party or a minor party, they also have the option of registering "unaffiliated" - that is, not associated with any political party. In most states, one must be affiliated with a party to vote in party primaries, however.
Q. Can agency employees post signs encouraging registration or touting the importance of voting in their offices?
A. Yes. Signs underscoring the importance of voter registration and voting are encouraged. Only signs promoting specific candidates or parties are prohibited.
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