Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act
Though most people know the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) as the “motor voter” law, fewer people know that it also mandates that voter registration be offered at other government agencies besides DMVs. State agencies offering SNAP (food stamps), TANF, Medicaid, and other government benefits are also legally required to assist their clients in registering to vote under the NVRA.
Congress included this provision, Section 7, exactly to reach the citizens who are less likely to register through other means: low-income people, minorities, the elderly, and the disabled.
However, too many states have been ignoring this part of the NVRA, meaning that millions of our most vulnerable citizens are missing out on the change to make their voices heard. That’s why Project Vote and our partners are working to fix that. We investigate compliance. We document violations of the NVRA. And, where we find problems, we work—through advocacy, assistance, and litigation—to ensure that states are following the law and doing right by their citizens.
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Voting Rights Advocates Call on North Carolina to Take Action after Voter Registrations Drop Sharply at State Public Assistance Agencies
According to the letter, voter registration applications initiated at public assistance agencies have dropped dramatically since Gov. Pat McCrory took office. Read more
Voter Registration Law Helps Close Disparities in Voter Turnout
A recent article in Bloomberg View highlights some of work conducted by Project Vote and our partners to further the implementation and goals of the NVRA. Read more
Welfare Agencies Are Failing to Help Poor People Vote
Since the nadir in applications in 2006, voting rights groups have pushed states to improve voter registration efforts at welfare offices. That may partly explain why applications have steadily ticked up... Read more
Massachusetts partially settles lawsuit over voter registration for welfare recipients
The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance has settled a 2012 lawsuit with voting rights organizations by agreeing to distribute voter registration forms to people applying for public assistance... Read more
Voting Rights Advocates Settle Voter Registration Suit
Today, voting rights advocates announced a settlement with the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) that will ensure that hundreds of thousands of eligible Massachusetts citizens are provided opportunities to register to vote... Read more
NAACP v. Galvin: Settlement with Mass Health & EOHHS
Mass Health and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services agreed to implement NVRA-compliant procedures, including offering voter registration during both in-person and remote transactions, assisting clients in completing the applications, transmitting completed applications to election officials, designating NVRA Coordinators to help ensure compliance, instituting quality control procedures, and sending annual reminders of voter registration responsibilities. Read more
NAACP v. Galvin: Settlement with Secretary of the Commonwealth
Settlement agreement in which Massachusetts SOC agreed to review DTA and MassHealth voter registration policies and training materials, participate in training, and monitor registration activities of each of the public assistance agencies. The resulting voter registration data will be posted regularly on the SOC’s website. Read more
NAACP v. Galvin: Settlement with Department of Transitional Assistance
Settlement agreement in which Massachusetts DTA agreed to comply with the NVRA and distribute voter registration applications and provide trainings on NVRA compliance. Read more
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Partially Upholds Challenge to Louisiana’s Administration of National Voter Registration Act
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Scott, et al. v. Schedler, et al., issued a ruling partially upholding a district court’s ruling after trial that Louisiana violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by failing to properly provide voter registration services to its public assistance clients. Read more
Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act: A Toolkit for Public Agencies
Based on Project Vote’s exhaustive experience, this toolkit is a compilation of best practices for providing voter registration services required by Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act. Read more