FYI: October 2012 - National Voter Registration Act Reminder

FYI

National Voter Registration Act Reminder

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires the Department to provide voter registration services
to all applicants and clients (hereafter referred to as clients). Clients may register to vote either at the TAO
or by using a mail-in form. Voter registration services provided to our clients include:

• informing clients of the ability to register to vote at a TAO or by use of a mail-in form, if the client prefers;
• asking clients if they would like to register to vote at application, reevaluation, recertification and when they report address changes to a case manager;
• assisting clients with voter registration;
• distributing the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Voter Registration Option Form entitled Declination Form at all in-office applications, reevaluations, recertifications and when a client reports a change in his or her address during an interview;
• providing a Massachusetts Official Voter Registration Form to the client who wants to register or, if the client prefers, providing a Mail-In Voter Registration Form that a client may mail or hand-deliver to his or her city or town hall;
• giving the client a Mail-in Voter Registration Form if the client does not want to register, but does not fill out the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Declination Form;
• transmitting completed Massachusetts Official Voter Registration forms to the appropriate local election office within five days of the client’s completion of the form;
• making voter registration forms available at TAO reception desks; and
• providing assistance in completing such forms.

Please refer to Operations Memo 2012-36 for more detailed instructions.