| TO: | ALL COUNTY OFFICES |
| FROM: | JANEL R. LUCK, DIRECTOR |
| SUBJECT: | ACORN VS. SCOTT; RETENTION OF COPIES OF VOTER REGISTRATION APPLICATIONS AND DECLINATIONS; VOTER REGISTRATION LOG GENERAL INFORMATION MANUAL REVISION # 21 |
DISCUSSION:
The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri granted the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction requested by Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) against the Missouri Department of Social Services on July 15, 2008. The Order requires that each local Family Support Division (FSD) office implement a monitoring system to track NVRA compliance. This memorandum addresses the following policy updates and procedures to assure that each FSD office begins activities to meet monitoring requirements.
Effective immediately, all county offices must take the following actions.
Keep a log of all voter registration applications and declination forms that are received. The attached spreadsheet is provided for use as a Voter Registration Log
. Retain the Voter Registration Log for twenty-four (24) months. Enter the date, individual's name, date of birth, and a 1 in either the Yes; No; No, Already Registered; or Declined to Declare column.
If an individual declines to mark any box, continue recording on the declination form the individual's name, date of birth, the fact that they declined voter registration services, the date, and the worker's signature. If the individual marks the box no, record the individual's name and date of birth on the form.
Copy all voter registration applications prior to submission to the County Clerk's Office or nearest election authority within the county. Continue to submit the voter registration applications within five business days.
File all declination forms and copies of all completed voter registration applications in a central county/office file by month for twenty-four (24) months. Do not file the voter registration application or declination form in the applicant or participant's case file.
Manual Updates
General Information Manual sections 0105.026.05.10 and 0105.026.20 are revised and 0105.026.30 is added to include the changes in processes and policy listed above. Voter registration interview procedure policy in Section 0105.026.05.05 is updated to indicate that blue or black ink must be used to fill out voter registration forms.
Staff Meetings
County office supervision/management must meet to determine local office procedures for following the policy/process outlined above. All county offices must hold staff meetings by July 29, 2008, to review this memorandum, the local office procedures established by supervision/management, and to ensure all staff understand the entire voter registration policy. It is very important that supervisors are confident that their staff understand all the policy and procedures involved in order for staff to comply. If there are questions that cannot be answered or that require policy clarification, forward those to the Central Office through proper channels.
A log of staff in attendance at this mandatory meeting must be kept. Those not able to attend must meet with their supervisor on an individual or small group basis to go over the procedures by July 29, 2008, or shortly thereafter. The names of these staff must also be documented. E-mail the date the staff meetings are held and the names of staff attending to Debbie Henry at Deborah.A.Henry@dss.mo.gov.
NECESSARY ACTION:
- Review this memorandum with all staff immediately.
- Use the attached Voter Registration Log to track all voter registrations and declinations.
- Record the individual's name, date of birth, the fact that they declined voter registration services, the date, and the worker's signature on all forms which the individual declined to complete. Record the individual's name and date of birth on all forms that the individual marked no or no, already registered.
- Create a central file in each office for copies of completed voter registration forms and declinations.
- Watch for additional memoranda and policy updates regarding voter registration activities.
- Conduct staff meetings by July 29, 2008, to review the entire voter registration policy and local office procedures. Send the date of the meetings and the list of attendees to Deborah.A.Henry@dss.mo.gov.
Attachment
Voter Registration Log