The ACLU's NVRA Toolkit: How to Comply with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)
The ACLU of California's NVRA Implementation Project works with public assistance offices and offices serving people with disabilities, county elections offices, and the Secretary of State to improve implementation of the NVRA across California. The NVRA Toolkit was developed for use by agency workers, NVRA coordinators, and county elections officials. The complete version of the toolkit can be downloaded here.
If you have any questions or concerns, or would like assistance in implementing the NVRA at your agency or in your county, please contact us.
How To Use This Resource Manual
Answer the questions below to determine which sections of the Toolkit are right for you.
1. Do you help people (a) Fill out applications for benefits or services... (b) Recertify benefits or services... or (c) Submit a change of address...
...at any of the following programs or in any of the following offices?
- CalFresh
- CalWORKs
- Medi-Cal
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- In-Home Supportive Services
- Covered California, California’s health benefit exchange
- Department of Rehabilitation - Vocational Services
- Independent Living Centers
- Department of Developmental Services Regional Centers
- Offices contracting with the Office of Deaf Access
- State and county mental and behavioral health departments, and private practitioners providing services under contract with those departments.
If so, you have an obligation to provide voter registration to clients under state and federal law. This toolkit will tell you how. Please read all content for agency staff.
2. Every office subject to the NVRA is required to identify one person who ensures compliance with the office’s voter registration responsibilities. Are you that person?
You are an “NVRA coordinator.” Please read the section titled, “When & How to Provide Voter Registration Services” and all content for NVRA for agency staff.
3. Do you handle NVRA compliance for your county elections office? Do you handle requests from agencies asking for voter registration cards? Do you prepare reports for the state on voter registration card returns?
You are the NVRA coordinator for the county elections office. Please read the entire toolkit. Also, in order to facilitate communication between NVRA agencies and county elections officials, we've included the sections for agency workers and NVRA coordinators to serve as reference materials.
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