Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act
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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Georgia Settles National Voter Registration Act Lawsuit, Agrees to Provide Registration Services to Low-Income Citizens
A coalition of national voting rights groups have secured a landmark settlement with the State of Georgia to ensure that voter registration is offered to all public assistance applicants. Read more
Federal Appeals Court Rules That N.M. Violated Federal Law, Failing to Provide Voter Registration Applications to Public Assistance Clients
The federal Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the State of New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) violated Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by improperly withholding voter registration applications from certain public assistance clients. Read more
Federal Court Delivers Important Ruling in National Voter Registration Act Lawsuit
In a strongly worded order handed down yesterday, U.S. District Judge Charles A. Pannell, Jr. denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a coalition of voting rights groups to remedy the State of Georgia’s failure to provide voter registration services at public assistance offices. Read more
Massachusetts Failing to Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Clients
Yesterday, attorneys from Project Vote and partners sent a pre-litigation notice letter to Massachusettsstate officials, urging them to bring the state into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) or face litigation. Read more
Indiana Settles Class Action Lawsuit Regarding Compliance with the NVRA
Today, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt approved the settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against Indiana officials to bring the State into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (“NVRA”). Read more
Michigan Failing to Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Clients
Citing clear evidence that the State of Michigan is failing to provide low-income residents with a legally-mandated opportunity to register to vote, attorneys from voting rights groups informed state officials they must comply with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) or face litigation. Read more
Federal Judge Rules that Lawsuit against the State of Louisiana Over Failure to Offer Voter Registration Services May Continue
Today, a federal court rejected the State of Louisiana's effort to dismiss a lawsuit regarding the State’s failure to offer public assistance recipients the opportunity to register vote. Read more
New EAC Report Shows Increased Voter Registration Among Low-Income Americans
A newly released review of a June 27 report by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) shows that voter registration application rates at state public assistance agencies have risen sharply following National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) enforcement actions by advocacy groups Demos, Project Vote, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and others. Read more
Voting Rights Groups Sue Georgia for Neglecting Voting Rights of Low-Income Residents
A coalition of voting rights groups filed suit today against Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Clyde J. Reese III to remedy the State of Georgia’s failure to provide voter registration services at state public assistance offices, as required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more
Rights Groups Sue Louisiana over Voting Rights Violations
Yesterday, Project Vote, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc. (LDF), and New Orleans attorney Ronald Wilson filed a complaint in federal court on behalf of the state conference of the NAACP and several private individuals, alleging that Louisiana is disenfranchising minority and low-income voters by failing to offer them the opportunity to register to vote as required by the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Read more