The Dangers of Playing with Matches
Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002 to impose fair and more uniform standards for state election administration, including provisions to establish and maintain statewide voter registration databases.
However, some states have misinterpreted the intent of database maintenance prodcedures outlined in HAVA and passed onerous “No Match, No Vote” laws. Under such statutes, if a state is unable to match the information on a voter’s registration application with information in an existing government database, the application is denied outright.
Research shows that matching voter data with other government databases is an unreliable, error-laden process, and that conditioning the right to vote on such a flawed system will inevitably disenfranchise eligible citizens.
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Georgia NAACP v. Kemp (2016): Exhibit 2
Exhibit 2 in Georgia NAACP v. Kemp: DDS and SSA Notification Letters Read more
Georgia NAACP v. Kemp (2016): Exhibit 1
Exhibit 1 in Georgia NAACP v. Kemp: Administrative Submission of HAVA Verification Process under Section 5 Read more
Georgia NAACP v. Kemp (2016): Complaint
Complaint filed September 14, 2016 in Georgia NAACP v. Kemp. Read more
Georgia NAACP v. Kemp (2016)
Project Vote and partners filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Georgia’s exact-match voter registration verification scheme violates the VRA and the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Read more
Legislative Threats and Opportunities: Spring 2015
To date in 2015, lawmakers in 24 states have proposed at least 52 bills that threaten voting rights, while lawmakers in 36 states have proposed to improve election administration in some way... Read more
Voting Rights Proposals Could Affect 2016 Elections
Since January, lawmakers on the state and federal levels have introduced over 180 bills that would change state and federal voting laws. Read more
Legislative Brief: Maintaining Current and Accurate Voter Lists
Every state is tasked with the duty to maintain current and accurate computerized statewide voter registration rolls, while at the same time ensuring that no eligible voters are wrongfully removed from the rolls. This report discusses some of the challenges inherent in balancing these two goals, and offers recommendations for implementing best practices. Read more
Florida NAACP v. Browning: Order to Dismiss
Order to dismiss in Florida NAACP v. Browning Read more
New Project Vote Policy Paper: No Match, No Vote
Continuing our 2010 Issues in Election Administration series, a suite of materials designed for anyone wanting to know more about key... Read more
Policy Paper: Maintaining Current and Accurate Voter Lists
This report discusses some of the challenges for election officials inherent in maintaining accurate voter lists while ensuring no eligible voters are wrongfully removed from the rolls, and offers recommendations for implementing best practices. Read more