Public Assistance Agencies

Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act

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The plaintiffs and attorneys in Project Vote and the NAACP’s public assistance agency lawsuit in Louisiana.

Though most people know the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) as the “motor voter” law, fewer people know that it also mandates that voter registration be offered at other government agencies besides DMVs. State agencies offering SNAP (food stamps), TANF, Medicaid, and other government benefits are also legally required to assist their clients in registering to vote under the NVRA.

Congress included this provision, Section 7, exactly to reach the citizens who are less likely to register through other means: low-income people, minorities, the elderly, and the disabled.

However, too many states have been ignoring this part of the NVRA, meaning that millions of our most vulnerable citizens are missing out on the change to make their voices heard. That’s why Project Vote and our partners are working to fix that. We investigate compliance. We document violations of the NVRA. And, where we find problems, we work—through advocacy, assistance, and litigation—to ensure that states are following the law and doing right by their citizens.

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Registering Low-Income Voters though Public Assistance Agencies in Missouri: A Success Story of the Public Agency Voter Registration Project

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This case study documents how this success was achieved, and provides a timely and powerful reminder of how proper implementation of public agency voter registration can dramatically increase the number of low-income Americans who are registered to vote. Read more

Research Memo: NVRA Public Agency Registration Field Research Results

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A report on the results of field research of NVRA-required voter registration servicesat sixty-three public assistance offices in the following seven states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Read more

Unequal Access: Neglecting the National Voter Registration Act, 1995-2007

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This 2008 report—co-authored by Demos and Project Vote as part of their joint effort to improve National Voter Registration Act implementation nationwide—examines in details the national decline in voter registration at public assistance agencies, and details the potential of the NVRA to increase registration among low-income citizens. Read more

Legislative Summary: The National Voter Registration Act

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The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 dramatically increased the opportunities for eligible Americans to become registered to vote in Federal elections. This document is a short summary of relevant sections, followed by a closer examination of some of the Act’s requirements. Read more