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Interim Report
Pages 4-22

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From page 4...
... of HAVA. 3 These two general processes -- verifying voter registration information and maintaining voter registration lists -- are central to the technical and policy dimensions of voter registration databases.
From page 5...
... information cannot be verified. HAVA requires the state motor vehicle agencies and the SSA to enter into agreements with states to verify voter registration information.
From page 6...
... This time limit does not apply to removals due to death, felony conviction, or judgment of mental incompetence, which may occur within 90 days of an election. Neither HAVA nor the NVRA requires advance notification of removal from the registration list except in the case of change of residence outside the previous jurisdiction.
From page 7...
... For example, since voter turnout percentages are calculated on the basis of the actual number of voters on Election Day divided by the number of registered voters, a VRD with a large number of duplicate registrations can lead to underestimates of voter turnout. The same phenomenon has operational significance in states where referendum propositions require a certain percentage of registered voters to approve the placement of any given proposition on the ballot.
From page 8...
... One common source of error in the data is data entry. Applicants typically submit handwritten voter registration cards that are sent to the voter registrar.
From page 9...
... Because of data quality issues and the lack of a truly unique identifier, record matching cannot be done perfectly in this context, that is, with zero false positives and zero false negatives. The consequence is that achieving the goal of a simultaneously 100 percent accurate and 100 percent complete voter registration list is virtually impossible.
From page 10...
... With this goal in mind, it may choose to minimize the rate of false negatives in matching the VRD against a list of felons, a policy choice that almost certainly will increase the number of legitimately eligible individuals removed from the list.14 Note also that record-matching procedures can, in principle, be executed by computer, by a human being, or both. Computer-based procedures for verification or maintenance have the advantages that they can perform matches very rapidly and can operate consistently (because they depend only on the specific data involved and the prescriptive rules as implemented)
From page 11...
... . Efforts to raise public awareness about the importance of legibility and fully completing voter registration forms would help to reduce the amount of illegible or missing information on these forms when they are submitted for data entry.
From page 12...
... Finally, it may be possible to resolve a nonmatch result by direct contact with the voter, either by phone or in writing. Provide Human Review of All Computer-indicated Removal Decisions Because inaccuracies in data may lead to false matching by automated processes, the committee urges jurisdictions to provide a human review of each and every decision to remove a registered voter from a VRD subject to the availability of trained personnel to do so.
From page 13...
... Use Fill-in Online Registration Forms Typewritten or printed information is almost always more legible than handwritten information. Assuming they already have Web sites from which voters may obtain voter registration forms and other election-related materials, jurisdictions could encourage the use of fill-in online registration forms, such as fill-in PDF or Web forms that accept keyboard input (that can be printed, input and all)
From page 14...
... Take Steps to Minimize Errors During Data Entry A number of steps can be taken to minimize data entry errors. • Sample audits can be undertaken to assess the degree of the problem and to identify the source -- some data entry personnel, for example, may be much less accurate than others.
From page 15...
... Encourage (but Do Not Require) Entities Sponsoring Voter Registration Drives to Submit Voter Registration Forms in a Timely Manner to Reduce Massive Influxes at the Registration Deadline Voter registrar offices can be overwhelmed by the mechanics of data entry if large numbers of voter registration applications must be processed in a very short time.
From page 16...
... Some security issues are discussed in Appendix D Encourage/Require Departments of Motor Vehicles as Well as Public Assistance and Disability Service Agencies to Provide Voter Registration Information Electronically The NVRA requires state DMVs, public assistance agencies, and disability service agencies to facilitate the voter registration process.
From page 17...
... can be offered reminders to update their registration information, or can even be routed automatically to online voter registration services to effect a similar change of address. Note that such additions to the online environment for these other service agencies would be significantly less expensive than implementing the previous recommendation on developing and promoting portals for online checking of registration status and thus might well be a first long-term step that states could take.
From page 18...
... A number of states today take advantage of the fact that their driver's licenses have signatures and have developed online registration portals that enable citizens with such licenses to register to vote online without having to appear in person anywhere. Registration portals can also leverage the fact that basic information about the individual, such as name, address, birth date, and so on, is often also stored along with the signature -- suggesting that importing the relevant data from the original state agency with the signature into the voter registration database is feasible in principle.
From page 19...
... Indeed, a great deal of experience with information technology suggests that even a combination of automated and human matching can sometimes result in inappropriate action because of data errors, inherent ambiguity in the data, algorithm deficiencies, human error, and so on. For example, a felony may have been reduced to a misdemeanor by the court without that fact being made known to election officials.
From page 21...
... Appendixes


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