MEMORANDUM

DISCUSSION:

A settlement agreement has been reached in the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) vs. the Missouri Department of Social Services lawsuit. The settlement revises some of the procedures referred to in Income Maintenance Memorandum IM-62 dated August 12, 2008. This memorandum addresses changes to the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) monitoring plan as a result of the settlement.

Effective immediately the following changes are to be implemented:

• Revised Instructions for Distribution of Voter Registration Forms
• Revised Reception Log
• Revised Voter Registration Log and Corrective Action Letters
• Revised Interview Procedure
• New Voter Registration Training Requirement

Revised Instructions for Distribution of Voter Registration Forms

When an EU calls to report a change of address and speaks to an FSD employee, offer to send the Voter Registration Application.

Revised Reception Log

When an individual is in the office to report information regarding an address change, pick up an application, reinvestigation, or change of address form the receptionist will provide a Voter Registration Application along with the appropriate FSD forms. This must be recorded on the Reception Log.

Revised Voter Registration Log and Corrective Action Letters

The Voter Registration Log, Survey Monkey, and NVRA Report have been updated to included information about the number of letters sent to individuals that were in the office to which FSD may not have offered voter's registrations services.

Create a subfolder within the central county/office file to file by month for twenty-four (24) months all corrective action letters and Voter Registration Applications sent due to a corrective action plan.

Revised Interview Procedure

Individuals may, at their option, take Voter Registration Applications home. However, eligibility specialists should encourage individuals to complete the application in the office.

As discussed in Income Maintenance Memorandum IM-2 dated January 9, 2009, FSD offices can print Voter Registration Applications on paper at the county office. These forms may be used to offer voter registration services to individuals at the county office, rather than the cardstock forms provided by the Secretary of State provided the forms are printed on one sheet of paper with the registration application on one side and the declination on the other.

NOTE: County offices should continue to order Voter Registration Applications on cardstock through proper channels.

This is being added to the manual.

New Voter Registration Training Requirement

A mandatory NVRA computer-based training has been developed and is now available in the Employee Learning Center (ELC).  Staff must complete this training no later than October 30, 2009.  A reminder email from ELC will be sent if the training is not taken by that date.  Managers are responsible for ensuring their staff have taken this training.

If there are staff with both Children's Division and Income Maintenance duties that include NVRA related responsibilities, managers in those offices will need to assign this training to those individuals in the ELC.

New staff, including those newly assigned to work or a new position that include NVRA-related responsibilities, must complete NVRA training no later than one month after their start date with that position.

Each FSD Income Maintenance employee shall receive training on NVRA procedures every two years.  Current staff who have positions that include NVRA-related responsibilities will receive a biennial email reminder from the ELC that it is time to complete the training again. 

Manual Revisions

The following sections of the General Information Manual have been revised 0105.026.05, 0105.026.05.02, 0105.026.05.03, 0105.026.05.05, 0105.026.05.12, 0105.026.15, and 0105.026.30 to reflect these changes.

NECESSARY ACTION:

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

SW