While national
NVRA
compliance has dropped off sharply, some states have reinvigorated their efforts
and as a result have seen major upswings in the number of voters that are being
registered, especially at public assistance agencies. Working in
collaboration with Demos and Project Vote, the North Carolina Board of
Elections has implemented a
compliance
plan that has increased monthly registrations from 484 in the years 2004
through 2006, to 2,529 in 2007. Iowa, Oregon, and Tennessee have also
made concerted efforts to improve compliance.
Public
assistance agencies have seen the most significant compliance problems, and
they also provide the best opportunities to register voters whose voices are
underrepresented in the electorate. Project Vote has composed a basic
five part strategy that will help election officials achieve compliance at
these agencies:
- Know the NVRA's public agency
registration requirements (NVRA Section 7).
- Communicate frequently with
agency managers and staff.
- Provide training and support
to agency personnel.
- Monitor registrations from
public assistance agencies.
- Review agency registration
performance and act on your findings.
Project
Vote has also drafted model legislation in collaboration with Demos
that outlines more specifically the steps needed to get a state in compliance
with the federal law. With a very small outlay of resources and a bit of
interest and leadership, compliance with the federal law is easily
obtainable. Therefore, ensuring compliance should be a priority for all
legislators interested in increasing electoral participation in their state.
