Ten Years Later, A Promised Unfulfilled: The National Voter Registration Act in Public Assistance Agencies, 1995-2005

Executive Summary

Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) mandates that state offices administering family assistance, Medicaid, disability benefits and other programs offer applicants and clients the opportunity to register to vote. Poor compliance with the letter and spirit of Section 7 is resulting in the continued inequality in voter registration rates and voter turnout and the under representation of the poor, disabled and others. The report calls on state officials and federal agencies to take immediate action to ensure that low-income communities are able to access voter registration services.