PDF www.usccr.gov

U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

INCREASING COMPLIANCE

WITH SECTION 7 OF THE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTR ATION ACT

U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

Washington, DC 20425 Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

Visit us on the Web:

BRIEFING

REPORT

AUGUST 2016

U.S. COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency established by Congress in 1957. It is directed to:

? Investigate complaints alleging that citizens are being deprived of their right to vote by reason of their race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or by reason of fraudulent practices.

? Study and collect information relating to discrimination or a denial of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.

? Appraise federal laws and policies with respect to discrimination or denial of equal protection of the laws because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin, or in the administration of justice.

? Serve as a national clearinghouse for information in respect to discrimination or denial of equal protection of the laws because of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.

? Submit reports, findings, and recommendations to the President and Congress.

? Issue public service announcements to discourage discrimination or denial of equal protection of the laws.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION

Martin R. Castro, Chairperson Patricia Timmons-Goodson, Vice Chairperson Roberta Achtenberg Gail L. Heriot Peter N. Kirsanow David Kladney Karen Narasaki Michael Yaki

Mauro Morales, Staff Director

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20425 (202) 376-8128 voice TTY Relay: 711



.

Increasing Compliance With Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act

A Briefing Before The United States Commission on Civil Rights

Held in Washington, DC

Briefing Report

[This page intentionally left blank]

UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS

1331 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20425

Letter of Transmittal

President Barack Obama Vice President Joe Biden Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

The United States Commission on Civil Rights is pleased to transmit our briefing report titled "Increasing Compliance with Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act." The full report is also available on the Commission's website at .

The report examines state compliance with the National Voter Registration Act's mandate to provide voter registration forms and assistance to those utilizing public assistance and disability agencies, and the efforts of the Department of Justice and private citizens in enforcing the mandate, found in Section 7 of the Act. The report also looks at trends in voter registration modernization, including electronic and automatic registration, and the use of health benefit exchanges to register voters.

The Commission held a briefing on April 19, 2013. From this testimony and subsequent research, a majority of the Commission made a number of findings and recommendations.

Highlights of the findings include:

? Providing for voter registration at public assistance offices is important to improve minority registration and participation in the election process. U.S. Census Bureau statistics show Hispanics and blacks were, respectively, three and four times more likely than whites to register to vote at a public assistance agency. At least one state has observed that having voter registration offered at public assistance offices benefits voters of all demographics.

? Providing for voter registration at public assistance offices is vital for citizens with disabilities. These citizens struggle with poverty at twice the rate of citizens without disabilities and thus may be more likely to register to vote at those offices.

? Providing for voter registration at public assistance offices is also important for Limited English Proficient persons, who are more likely to be living in poverty than English proficient individuals. The Election Assistance Commission has translated the National Mail Voter Registration form into Spanish and eight Asian languages.

? Congress provided the Department of Justice with authority to sue state agencies that fail to comply with the National Voter Registration Act. The Department has additional tools, including publishing guidance on implementing the National Voter Registration Act, conducting investigations, sending letters of intent to enforce the National Voter Registration Act, and reviewing state data reported to the Election Assistance Commission.

? A recent Election Assistance Commission Report shows that compliance intervention--including cooperative work and/or lawsuits by the Department of Justice or private litigants resulted in seven

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download