Maintaining Accurate Voting Rolls

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) introduced sweeping changes to federal election administration laws. Among the changes was a requirement that states create a computerized, centralized statewide database of all eligible voters. HAVA and the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) provide that states shall periodically remove ineligible voters from the statewide official voter list. States are required to develop specific standards for implementing a list maintenance program that is transparent, consistent and not discriminatory. A lack of clear and specific state criteria for performing list maintenance programs has resulted in inconsistent standards between states and within states for federal elections. Poorly developed and executed programs for matching voter lists to external databases have led to the disenfranchisement of eligible voters in many states. Frequently, the disenfranchisement has a disparate impact on minorities. Read More.

For More Information:

• Voluntary Guidance on the Implementation of Statewide Voter Registration Lists. United States Election Assistance Commission. July 2006.
• Purged! How a patchwork of flawed and inconsistent voting systems could deprive millions of Americans of the right to vote. American Civil Liberties Union and Demos. October 2004.