Require Proof Before Removing Voters

Summary#

This bill would change the National Voter Registration Act to limit when a State may remove a person from the list of voters eligible in federal elections. It requires states to have “objective and reliable evidence” that a person is ineligible before removing their name. It also adds faster notice rules to tell people quickly when they are removed and requires public notice when states run large removal programs.

  • Main change: States may not remove a registrant from the federal-election voter roll unless they verify, with objective and reliable evidence, that the person is ineligible to vote.
  • What is barred as evidence: A person’s failure to vote, failure to respond to a notice (unless the notice is returned as undeliverable), or failure to take any other voting action cannot by themselves be treated as objective and reliable evidence of ineligibility.
  • Notice to individuals: States must send a notice to any person they remove within 48 hours that explains the reason and how to contest or be reinstated, except when the person confirms they are no longer eligible or the person is deceased.
  • Public notice: After any large program to remove ineligible voters, the state must issue public notice within 48 hours by methods reasonably likely to reach the public and accessible to people with disabilities.
  • Notices under current address rules: A state may not send a removal notice under the existing address-confirmation process unless it first has objective and reliable evidence that the registrant moved out of the registrar’s jurisdiction.
  • Effective date: The rules start on the day the bill becomes law.

What it means for you#

  • Registered voters: Your name cannot be removed from the federal-election voter roll just because you did not vote or did not reply to a mailed notice (unless that mail was returned as undeliverable). If you are removed, you should get a notice within 48 hours explaining why and how to challenge it.
  • State and local election offices: Officials must stop removing people from federal voter lists unless they have objective and reliable proof the person is ineligible. They must send quick individual notices after removal and publish quick public notices after any general removal program. This will change how they run list maintenance.
  • People who move between jurisdictions: The bill makes it harder for a state to send a removal notice based only on change-of-address information unless the state has objective and reliable evidence the person left the jurisdiction.
  • Voters with disabilities: Public notices about removal programs must be in formats reasonably convenient and accessible, including for people with low vision or who are blind.
  • Organizations that track voter lists or help people restore registration: They may see fewer erroneous removals and will have more timely notice when removals happen.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Possible costs or budget effects the bill could create (not in the bill text but reasonably connected to the changes):

  • States and local election offices may need more staff time or new systems to gather and check “objective and reliable” evidence before removing names.
  • Mailing, phone, or electronic systems may be needed to send individual notices within 48 hours and to publish public notices quickly.
  • Keeping larger lists longer (if removals become rarer) could increase storage, processing, and ballot-mailing costs for jurisdictions that use list size in planning.
  • If states need to create new data links (for example with death records or court records) to verify ineligibility, there could be IT and data-sharing costs.

Proponents' View#

  • The bill appears intended to protect eligible voters from being wrongly removed from the rolls.
  • It would likely reduce removals based solely on inactivity or nonresponse to notices, which can cause eligible voters to lose registration without notice.
  • Requiring objective and reliable evidence before removal could improve accuracy by focusing removals on clear cases of ineligibility (for example, death or confirmed move out of jurisdiction).
  • The quick individual and public notice rules aim to give removed voters a fast way to learn of the change and fix mistakes or appeal.

Opponents' View#

  • One concern is that the bill does not define what counts as “objective and reliable evidence,” leaving states and courts to decide later what proof is enough. This could create legal uncertainty and inconsistent practices across states.
  • The new verification and 48-hour notice requirements could increase administrative workload and costs for election offices, especially small local offices with limited staff.
  • The bill could make it harder for states to remove people who have actually moved away, which could keep voter rolls larger and increase costs for list upkeep.
  • It is unclear how the bill would interact with current federal procedures that use postal-change-of-address data; the bill restricts sending notices under that process unless the state has objective evidence of a move. This could slow routine address-confirmation efforts.