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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New Mexico Settles Lawsuit, Agrees to Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Clients
A federal judge today approved a consent order requiring New Mexico state officials to implement procedures to ensure that thousands of New Mexico citizens have the opportunity to register to vote at state public assistance offices, as provided by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more
Georgia Failing to Offer Voter Registration to Public Assistance Clients
Citing clear evidence that low-income Georgia residents are being denied a legally-mandated opportunity to register to vote, attorneys from Project Vote, Demos, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), the ACLU Voting Rights Project, and the law firm of Dechert LLP sent a pre-litigation notice letter today to Secretary of State Brian Kemp, on behalf of the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP, demanding that the Secretary immediately act to bring Georgia into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) or face litigation. Read more
Louisiana Defaulting on Federal Obligation to Register Low-Income Residents
Citing clear evidence that numerous low-income Louisiana residents have been denied the opportunity to register to vote, attorneys from Project Vote, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), and New Orleans attorney Ronald Wilson, have sent officials a pre-litigation notice letter regarding the state’s non-compliance with the federal requirements of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more
Court Rules that New Mexico Is In Violation of Federal Voter Registration Law
A coalition of voting rights groups scored a major victory yesterday in their lawsuit against New Mexico’s Human Services Division (HSD) and Secretary of State Mary Herrera, with a ruling by a U.S. District Judge that the State of New Mexico is in violation of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). Read more
More than One Hundred Thousand Low-Income Ohioans Register to Vote
More than 100,000 low-income Ohio residents have applied to register to vote at state Department of Job and Family Service (ODJFS) offices in the first six months of 2010, following a federal court settlement to bring the state agency into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more
Federal Court Lawsuit Settlement Brings Ohio Into Compliance with National Voter Registration Act
Low-income Ohio citizens will be ensured access to voter registration at Ohio public assistance offices as a result of a settlement agreement submitted to Federal District Court Judge Patricia A. Gaughan over this past holiday weekend. Read more
New Case Study Documents Successful Turnaround of Missouri’s Public Agency Registration Program
Today, Project Vote is releasing a new report, Registering Low-Income Voters through Public Assistance Agencies in Missouri, which shows just how well public agency voter registration can work. Read more
Project Vote Releases New Report Evaluating Fifteen Years of the NVRA
Today Project Vote is proud to release The NVRA at Fifteen: A Report to Congress, the first comprehensive report evaluating the implementation of this landmark law. Read more
Voting Rights Groups Sue Indiana for Neglecting Low-Income Voters
Citing clear evidence that Indiana public assistance agencies have violated their federally mandated responsibility to offer tens of thousands of clients the opportunity to register to vote each year, a coalition of voting rights groups filed suit today against officials in Indiana for violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). Read more
Missouri Department of Social Services Agrees to Settlement Ensuring Voter Registration Opportunities for Low-Income Voters
Low-income voters in Missouri will see increased access to voter registration at Missouri public assistance offices as a result of a settlement agreement filed today in federal district court. Read more