Incorporating Voter Registration into the Intake Process

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One easy way to register people to vote on a regular basis is to do so during the intake process – when a client first comes to your organization and is already filling out forms or providing necessary information to receive services.

This is one of the suggestions made in the online manual prepared by the national sponsors of National Homeless and Low Income Registration Week being coordinated by the New Jersey Advocacy Network to End Homelessness Click here to read this important manual.

Incorporating Voter Registration into the Intake Process

While the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)-better known as the “Motor Voter” law-allows people to register to vote at drivers’ license and welfare offices, many people still may not have access to these offices to register to vote. For this reason, the NVRA encourages “all nongovernmental entities” to register their clients. This includes homeless shelters, drop-in centers, food pantries, soup kitchens, day care centers, child welfare agencies, and community health centers.

One easy way to register people to vote on a regular basis is to do so during the intake process – when a client first comes to your organization and is already filling out forms or providing necessary information to receive services.

Rules governing voter registration vary from state to state. Please check with your local or state elections office to ensure that your organization’s voter registration process is conducted properly.

Four Simple Steps to Incorporate Voter Registration into the Intake Process:

1. Appoint a Voter Registration Coordinator.

Appoint a staff person to coordinate the incorporation of voter registration into the intake process. The coordinator should:

Contact the local elections office or the Secretary of State’s office to get information on how to conduct voter registration during the intake process. S/he should:

obtain voter registration forms;

find out voter requirements, such as voter eligibility requirements, address requirements, and identification requirements;

find out how often completed forms should be mailed in (each week, every two weeks, etc.) and what the deadlines are for submitting forms before the next election;

obtain any voter education information, such as a map of the local precincts and polling places or sample ballots, that would be helpful for newly registered voters; and

obtain any other information necessary for the registration process.