Voting Reform

The Help America Vote Act (HAVA–P.L.107-252) requires individuals registering to vote to provide a driver’s license number or the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security Number. HAVA also specifies that a state election official and motor vehicle authority must match the information in the registration database with that in the driver’s license database. In addition, HAVA requires the state motor vehicle agency to enter into an agreement with the Social Security Administration to verify voter registration information.

States are supposed to have a computerized statewide voter registration system in place by Jan. 1, 2004, but may apply for a waiver for two years if it is not ready in time. As of Jan. 2, 2004, 40 states and the District of Columbia applied for the waiver through the Office of Election Administration at the Federal Election Commission. Only nine jurisdictions - Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, South Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.  North Dakota is exempt from the requirement for a database because it does not have voter registration.

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), AAMVA and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) put together a task force to review provisions within HAVA that require the state's chief election official and chief motor vehicle official to share, for the purposes of matching and verifying, information provided on voter registration applications. This task force is also looking at HAVA required procedures for the state motor vehicle authority to work with the Social Security Administration.

Four states were selected to participate on this task force: Michigan, New York, Virginia and Montana. In addition, the Task Force also includes staff from NASS, AAMVA and NASED, as well as representatives from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS).  

Related documents

• Help America Vote Act (HAVA – P.L.107-252)  
• AAMVA Survey to Chief Administrators: 
  Status of HAVA Compliant Statewide Voter Registration Lists & New Information Verification Procedures  
• Michigan's Qualified Voter File System (a summary) - Aug. 2002  
• Michigan Qualified Voter File Presentation - Dec. 2002  
• Elections/DMV Joint HAVA Task Force Summary (conference call) - June 11, 2003  
• Social Security Administration Proposed Voter Verification Requirements - June 19, 2003
• Jurisdiction Survey Responses - Nov. 10, 2003
• AAMVA Survey Summary Results on Compliance with HAVA Provisions for Motor Vehicle Agencies - Nov. 10, 2003
• Elections/DMV Joint HAVA Task Force Summary (conference call) - Dec. 9, 2003
• Joint Letter from AAMVA-NASED-NASS-SSA on HAVA Status - Jan. 14, 2004
• HAVA Customer Notice - Oct. 19, 2004

Web sites

• Social Security Administration (SSA)
• National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)
• National Association of State Election Directors (NASED)
• National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS)
• Department of Justice Voting Section
• Election Assistance Commission

Contact

Pamela Richardson Walker, senior director, Federal Government Affairs