IM-62      08/12/08

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
FAMILY SUPPORT DIVISION
P.O. BOX 2320
JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI

DISCUSSION:

The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri granted the Motion for a Preliminary Injunction requested by the 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.

As previously discussed in Memorandum IM-#54, dated July 22, 2008, county office staff are to keep a log of all voter registration applications and declination forms that are received.  Refer to Memorandum IM-#54 for specific instructions on how to log the forms and the required information to be recorded on the forms.

This memorandum addresses the following:

• revised instructions for the voter registration cards/log;
• reception log;
• reconciliation of the reception log and voter registration log;
• corrective action required when there is no record that an applicant/EU was offered the opportunity to register to vote; and
• recording the data from the logs into Survey Monkey.

Revised Instructions for the Voter Registration Cards/Log

Effective immediately, when an individual is offered voter registration services, the ES will take the following actions before giving the voter registration card to the person designated to log all voter registration cards:

• If the individual declines to mark any box, the ES will record on the declination form the individual's name, date of birth, the fact that s/he declined voter registration services, the date, and the ES will sign the form.

• If the individual marks the box "no" or "no, already registered" and signs the form, the ES will record the date and the individual's date of birth on the form.

• If the individual marks the box "no" or "no, already registered" and does not sign the form, the ES will record the date, the individual's name, and date of birth on the form.

• If the individual marks "yes" but does not actually complete the voter registration application form in the office because s/he chose to take the card home to complete, the ES will complete a separate card checking “no”.  The ES will record on the separate card the individual's name, date of birth, the fact s/he declined to complete the card in the office and instead took it home to complete, the date, and the worker's signature.

• If the individual marks "yes" but does not fully complete the voter registration application form in the office either because s/he is under age or is not a United States citizen, the ES will record on the form the individual's name, date of birth, the fact s/he indicated s/he is ineligible to register, the date, and the worker's signature.  These incomplete voter registration applications will be logged on the voter registration log as “no”.

• If the individual marks the box "yes" and completes the form, the ES will follow normal local office procedures to submit to the local election authority.

When the ES has finished conducting business with the individual, the ES will give the voter registration card to the staff in the local county office designated to handle the completed forms.  This staff person will log all cards received by recording the date, individual's name, date of birth, and whether the individual marked "yes"; "no"; "no, already registered"; or declined to declare.  If the individual marked "yes" and completed the application for voter registration, the staff person will make a copy of the voter registration card.  Completed voter registration cards returned to the office after the office visit will also be copied and logged prior to submission to the local election authority.

Reception Log

Effective immediately, the receptionist in each local office must keep a log of all persons who come into the office for one of the following reasons:

• apply for benefits;
• complete reinvestigations;
• report changes of address; and
• register to vote only.

Each local office may continue to use their current reception log as long as the four reasons listed above are captured. 

NOTE: If the individual is in the office to register to vote only, the receptionist will give the individual a voter registration card and offer to assist him/her with completing the form.  Follow normal local NVRA procedures for logging, filing, and sending the voter registration card to the local election authority (LEA).

Reconciliation of the Reception Log and Voter Registration Log

At least weekly, local office staff must reconcile the Reception Log with the Voter Registration Log to ensure that the number of cards is equal to (or greater than) the total number of applications, reinvestigations, changes of address, or individuals who wished only to register to vote.  This information must be reported to the local NVRA coordinator.

NOTE:  It may be possible that the number of cards is larger than the number of applications if cards are received in the mail or multiple family members complete voter registration applications while in the office.   

Corrective Action Required When There Is No Record That An Applicant/EU Was Offered The Opportunity To Register To Vote

If it is found that there is not a record of an individual being given the opportunity to register to vote, county staff, under the direction of the local NVRA Coordinator, must immediately send the Voter Registration Letter, the Voter Registration Questions, and voter registration application to the individual, offering him/her the opportunity to register to vote. 

Print the following, available on the upper right side of the FSD Intranet Home page, to accompany the letter:

• the Voter Registration Questions ;

• the voter registration application (Register to Vote) on the Secretary of State's website, (http://s1.sos.mo.gov/cmsimages/elections/register2vote/).

Write “Code 02” on the voter registration form in the middle on the right, just above the boxes (see below).

Keep a copy of the letter and forms in the central county/office file.
County management/local NVRA coordinator must monitor that the corrective action is taken on cases where there is not a record of providing the opportunity to register to vote.

Recording the Data from the Logs Into Survey Monkey

Local office staff, designated by the local NVRA coordinator, must enter information from the voter registration logs and the data collected on the number of persons in each office to apply for benefits, complete a reinvestigation, report a change of address, or only to register to vote into Survey Monkey.  The address/link to Survey Monkey and the password will be sent to each office separately.

The reporting periods are as follows:

• for the 1st – 15th of each month, the data must be entered into Survey Monkey by the 22nd of the month; and

• for the 16th – last day of the month, the data must be entered into Survey Monkey by the 7th of the next month.

NOTE:  For the first report, including data from August 16 – August 31, enter the data into Survey Monkey by September 5.

Clay County, Jackson County, Jefferson County, St. Louis County, and St. Louis City will report their information by office and not county.

Survey Monkey will compile the information into a statewide report that will be submitted to the statewide NVRA Coordinator, Robert Hall, for review and monitoring.  The statewide NVRA Coordinator will monitor the compliance of all offices with voter registration policy.  Mr. Hall will contact any local office whose numbers are indicating there may be a problem and will work with the local NVRA coordinator on developing a corrective action plan, if warranted.

Manual Revisions

The General Information Manual sections regarding Voter Registration Requirements are revised as follows:

• 0105.026.02 – this section is added describing the NVRA Coordinators' duties.
• 0105.026.05 – this section is revised to include that FSD must offer assistance to anyone who wishes to complete the voter registration form and linking to the manual section 0105.026.10 Form Completion Assistance.
• 0105.026.05.02 and 0105.026.05.03 – these sections are added describing the Reception Log and the Voter Registration Log.
• 0105.026.05.05 – this section is revised to include actions an ES must take based on whether the applicant/EU marked yes, no, or if the applicant/EU declined to declare.
• 0105.026.05.10 – this section, previously titled Voter Registration Services Declined, has been removed and replaced with Procedures for Completed Forms.
• 0105.026.05.11 – this section is added describing the reconciliation process between the Reception Log and Voter Registration Log.
• 0105.026.05.12 – this section is added to discuss corrective actions that are required when there is no record that an applicant/EU was offered the opportunity to vote.
• 0105.026.15 – this section is added to discuss the recording that must be entered into Survey Monkey.
• 0105.026.20 – this section is revised to change the link in the last paragraph to 0105.026.05.10 Procedure for Completed Forms.
• 0105.026.25 – this section is added to advise staff on the adequate supply of voter registration forms and what actions to take when the supply gets low.
• 0105.026.30 – this section has been removed as it was incorporated into other sections.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

• Record the reason an individual comes into the office, including applications, reinvestigations, reporting changes of address, or to register to vote only.

• At least weekly, reconcile the Voter Registration Log and the Reception Log to ensure that the number of cards is equal to the total number of applications, reinvestigations, changes of address, or individuals registered to vote only.

• Report any discrepancies to the local NVRA coordinator.

• Ensure corrective action is completed when there is no record that an applicant/EU was offered the opportunity to register to vote.

• Enter data from the Voter Registration Log and the Reception Log into Survey Monkey for the first report, including data from August 16 – August 31 by September 5.

• Enter data from the Voter Registration Log and the Reception Log into Survey Monkey for the 1st – 15th of the month by the 22nd of that month.

• Enter data from the Voter Registration Log and the Reception Log into Survey Monkey for the 16th – last day of the month by the 7th of the next month.

REM