§20506 — Title 52 Voting and Elections | U.S. Code

Summary

States must pick offices where people can register to vote in federal elections. Every state has to include all offices that give public assistance and those that run state-funded programs mainly for people with disabilities. States must also name other places like libraries, schools, clerk offices, license bureaus, revenue and unemployment offices, disability service offices, and even federal or private offices if those offices agree. Each designated office must hand out the official mail-in voter registration form (the form must list eligibility rules including citizenship and ask the applicant to swear they meet them and sign under penalty of perjury), help people fill it out if they want help, accept completed forms, and send them on to the right state election official. If a disability service office helps someone at their home, the office must also provide these voter registration services at home. Staff at these offices must not try to influence anyone’s political choices, show political support, discourage people from registering, or suggest that getting services depends on registering. Offices that give other services must give the voter form with each application, renewal, or change-of-address form, include a clear question asking if the person wants to register, and for public assistance offices say that registering or not won’t affect benefits. They must offer help with the voter form like they do for their own forms and give a complaint contact. A person’s choice not to register can only be used for voter registration and nothing else. Federal agencies should help states carry this out. Military recruiting offices must use procedures made with the Secretary of Defense and count as voter registration agencies. Completed applications must be sent to the state election official within 10 days, or within 5 days if they were accepted within 5 days before the state’s registration deadline.

Title 52, §20506

Voting and Elections — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Each State shall designate agencies for the registration of voters in elections for Federal office.

(2)Each State shall designate as voter registration agencies—

(A)all offices in the State that provide public assistance; and

(B)all offices in the State that provide State-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities.

(3)(A)In addition to voter registration agencies designated under paragraph (2), each State shall designate other offices within the State as voter registration agencies.

(B)Voter registration agencies designated under subparagraph (A) may include—

(i)State or local government offices such as public libraries, public schools, offices of city and county clerks (including marriage license bureaus), fishing and hunting license bureaus, government revenue offices, unemployment compensation offices, and offices not described in paragraph (2)(B) that provide services to persons with disabilities; and

(ii)Federal and nongovernmental offices, with the agreement of such offices.

(4)(A)At each voter registration agency, the following services shall be made available:

(i)Distribution of mail voter registration application forms in accordance with paragraph (6).

(ii)Assistance to applicants in completing voter registration application forms, unless the applicant refuses such assistance.

(iii)Acceptance of completed voter registration application forms for transmittal to the appropriate State election official.

(B)If a voter registration agency designated under paragraph (2)(B) provides services to a person with a disability at the person’s home, the agency shall provide the services described in subparagraph (A) at the person’s home.

(5)A person who provides service described in paragraph (4) shall not—

(A)seek to influence an applicant’s political preference or party registration;

(B)display any such political preference or party allegiance;

(C)make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the applicant from registering to vote; or

(D)make any statement to an applicant or take any action the purpose or effect of which is to lead the applicant to believe that a decision to register or not to register has any bearing on the availability of services or benefits.

(6)A voter registration agency that is an office that provides service or assistance in addition to conducting voter registration shall—

(A)distribute with each application for such service or assistance, and with each recertification, renewal, or change of address form relating to such service or assistance—

(i)the mail voter registration application form described in section 20508(a)(2) of this title, including a statement that—

(I)specifies each eligibility requirement (including citizenship);

(II)contains an attestation that the applicant meets each such requirement; and

(III)requires the signature of the applicant, under penalty of perjury; or

(ii)the office’s own form if it is equivalent to the form described in section 20508(a)(2) of this title,

(B)provide a form that includes—

(i)the question, “If you are not registered to vote where you live now, would you like to apply to register to vote here today?”;

(ii)if the agency provides public assistance, the statement, “Applying to register or declining to register to vote will not affect the amount of assistance that you will be provided by this agency.”;

(iii)boxes for the applicant to check to indicate whether the applicant would like to register or declines to register to vote (failure to check either box being deemed to constitute a declination to register for purposes of subparagraph (C)), together with the statement (in close proximity to the boxes and in prominent type), “IF YOU DO NOT CHECK EITHER BOX, YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED TO HAVE DECIDED NOT TO REGISTER TO VOTE AT THIS TIME.”;

(iv)the statement, “If you would like help in filling out the voter registration application form, we will help you. The decision whether to seek or accept help is yours. You may fill out the application form in private.”; and

(v)the statement, “If you believe that someone has interfered with your right to register or to decline to register to vote, your right to privacy in deciding whether to register or in applying to register to vote, or your right to choose your own political party or other political preference, you may file a complaint with _____.”, the blank being filled by the name, address, and telephone number of the appropriate official to whom such a complaint should be addressed; and

(C)provide to each applicant who does not decline to register to vote the same degree of assistance with regard to the completion of the registration application form as is provided by the office with regard to the completion of its own forms, unless the applicant refuses such assistance.

(7)No information relating to a declination to register to vote in connection with an application made at an office described in paragraph (6) may be used for any purpose other than voter registration.

(b)All departments, agencies, and other entities of the executive branch of the Federal Government shall, to the greatest extent practicable, cooperate with the States in carrying out subsection (a), and all nongovernmental entities are encouraged to do so.

(c)(1)Each State and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly develop and implement procedures for persons to apply to register to vote at recruitment offices of the Armed Forces of the United States.

(2)A recruitment office of the Armed Forces of the United States shall be considered to be a voter registration agency designated under subsection (a)(2) for all purposes of this chapter.

(d)(1)Subject to paragraph (2), a completed registration application accepted at a voter registration agency shall be transmitted to the appropriate State election official not later than 10 days after the date of acceptance.

(2)If a registration application is accepted within 5 days before the last day for registration to vote in an election, the application shall be transmitted to the appropriate State election official not later than 5 days after the date of acceptance.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 1973gg–5 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Executive Documents

Ex. Ord. No. 12926. Implementation of National Voter Registration Act of 1993 Ex. Ord. No. 12926, Sept. 12, 1994, 59 F.R. 47227, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 14019, § 4(a), Mar. 7, 2021, 86 F.R. 13624, provided: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in order to ensure, as required by section 7(b) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 1973gg [sic]) [52 U.S.C. 20506(b)] (“the Act”), that departments, agencies, and other entities of the executive branch of the Federal Government cooperate with the States in carrying out the Act’s requirements, it is hereby ordered as follows: section 1. Assistance to States. To the greatest extent practicable, departments, agencies, and other entities of the executive branch of the Federal Government that provide, in whole or in part, funding, grants, or assistance for, or with respect to the administration of, any program of public assistance or services to persons with disabilities within the meaning of section 7(a) of the Act shall: (a) provide, to State agencies administering any such program, guidance for the implementation of the requirements of section 7 of the Act, including guidance for use and distribution of voter registration forms in connection with applications for service; (b) assist each such State agency administering any such program with the costs of implementation of the Act [52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.], consistent with legal authority and the availability of funds, and promptly indicate to each State agency the extent to which such assistance will be made available; and (c) designate an office or staff to be available to provide technical assistance to such State agencies. Sec. 2. Armed Forces Recruitment Offices. The Secretary of Defense is directed to work with the appropriate State elections authorities in each State to develop procedures for persons to apply to register to vote at Armed Forces recruitment offices as required by section 7(c) of the Act. Sec. 3. Acceptance of Designation. [Superseded by Ex. Ord. No. 14019, Mar. 7, 2021, 86 F.R. 13623, set out as a note preceding section 20101 of this title, see section 4(a) of Ex. Ord. No. 14019.]

§20506 Voter Registration Agencies

Summary

Title 52, §20506

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Executive Documents

Citations & Metadata