How Do You Need to Cancel Voter Registration When You Move?
The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) aims to reduce voter turnout, increase access to the polls and provide voters with accurate information about their rights. The NVRA also limits states’ ability to remove a voter from the rolls for a variety of reasons, including when a voter requests it and due to felony convictions or mental incapacity.
In order to cancel a voter registration, the state must have official government data that matches an unofficial database and use strong matching criteria to verify that a person has moved or has not been registered in a particular location for a specific period of time. Some cancellations may require a signed response from the voter, while others are done automatically through the ERIC system and will not require a response.
ERIC is a non-profit organization that helps state voter registration agencies collect, analyze and share election data to ensure that the public has access to accurate information about their rights as citizens. Currently, 30 states plus the District of Columbia are members.
Updates and Cancellations by Voter Registration Agency
The NVRA requires that all voter registration lists be updated with a new address whenever a change of address is made. This process is called list maintenance and states are required to conduct this activity in a uniform and nondiscriminatory manner.
If a change of address is provided by a voter, a NVRA confirmation mail correspondence is sent to the new county’s local board of elections (LBE). This confirms the new address and the voter remains on the roll for up to two federal general elections. If the voter does not respond to the confirmation notice, their status is changed to inactive and they are removed from the voter rolls.
Depending on the state, other forms may need to be filled out. The voter should include the address of their new residence, whether it is an apartment, a house or a condominium. In addition, the new address must be in a legal name that is distinct from their previous address.
You should also include a telephone number so the town clerk can contact you if there is any need to clarify your registration. The town clerk will send you a notification that you have been added to the checklist, but you can also find this information on the DMV website in the section entitled “Voter Registration and Address Changes”.
For more details on this process, please refer to your county’s official voter registration form. You can also call your local county registrar of voters to get more information.
Homeless Individuals
If you are homeless and are unable to vote, you should register as soon as possible. The easiest way to do this is to fill out an accessible voter registration form.
The form is available online in English, Spanish and Chinese. If you are not able to use the on-line version, you can download it and print it out and then mail it to your local elections office.
