Author: Kim Strach, Executive Director
Last week, county directors received instructions to process address updates to registration records using information generated through the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (“DMV”). This memo provides additional background regarding the legal basis for that requirement.
The State Board of Elections enjoys a close partnership with the DMV in our joint effort to extend registration opportunities required under state and federal law. DMV now offers secure online services that permit customers to change their address and to indicate that the address should be updated for voting purposes. The portal requires secure log-in credentials and the customer must indicate that the address change should be reflected in his or her voting record.
Beyond new registrations, reports from DMV form an important part of the State’s broader list maintenance program. Our agency is authorized to establish methods by which a county must “update the addresses and other necessary data of persons who remain on the official list of eligible voters.”1 That program may rely on various databases and procedures “in addition to the methods set forth” by statute.2 While there remain limitations on a new registration originating online, state law is clear that “no registered voter shall be required to re-register upon moving from one precinct to another within the same county.”3 A wet-ink signature from the voter is not required, and our agency is free to direct the processing of the information as part of our general list maintenance program.4
Neither the above process nor the various other methods to update one’s address — including via a voter card or registration form — in any way limits a voter’s option to self-report a change using the method provided under G.S. § 163-82.15(a). DMV reports have proven a reliable source of information in removing voters who have moved out of county as expressly authorized under G.S. § 163-82.14(d)(1)(a), and will strengthen the reliability of the rolls regarding in-county moves as well.
Acting on information provided by DMV will improve verification efforts. Processing address changes received through the DMV report will initiate mail verification of the new residence as required under G.S. § 163-82.15(b). Currently, incomplete letters are not coded as a mail verification within SEIMS. Processing in-county changes of address as directed will help ensure new addresses are verified prior to the election, which further secures the election process. Since the voter will receive his or her voter card with the correct polling location, this process should decrease the number of provisional ballots cast, the number of precinct transfers, and the number of changes that need to be made to the voter record during one-stop early voting.
1 G.S. § 163-82.14(a)(2).
2 G.S. § 163-82.14(a).
3 G.S. § 163-82.15(a).
4 Federal law prohibits list maintenance to remove ineligible voters within 90 days of a federal primary or general election applies; this restriction does not apply to the correction of registration records, including the registrant’s address, as part of efforts to keep the voter rolls current. See 52 U.S.C. § 20507(c)(2)(A).
Processing DMV Transactions in SEIMS
The following outlines the SEIMS process for these transactions:
When a transactional record is received from the DMV and the DMV customer record matches a registered voter (Active/Inactive) in the county on driver license number and date of birth, the State Board of Elections will determine whether the voter’s name and/or address needs to be updated.
- If the voter’s name and/or address needs to be updated, SBOE will move the registration transaction to the Review Queue. We will check the Signature Provided checkbox. SBOE will continue this automated process through the voter registration deadline.
- If there is no change to the voter’s name and/or address — in essence, the voter registration transaction is a Duplicate — SBOE will process the transaction into VoterView. In this process, the voter’s record will be updated with the DMV application date and DMV source. We will also give the transaction a NVRA statistic and add a contact for the voter. An enhancement has been added to run this process daily.
It is important to remember that DMV online transactions do not allow for changes to party affiliation. Therefore, when the DMV record is linked to the existing voter, SEIMS will prepopulate the voter’s current party affiliation. No manual entries to the party affiliation field should be made to the DMV record.
Our entire team is committed to helping you throughout this election. If questions about this process arise, please let us know.
↓ Processing In-County Updates From DMV: Numbered Memo 2016-18 (PDF)