Texas Volunteer Deputy Registrar Guide
Office of the Secretary of Statewww.sos.state.tx.us
Elections Division
1.800.252.VOTE (8683)
Dear Volunteer Deputy Registrar:
Acceptance of the duties of volunteer deputy registrar places you in a position of trust and responsibility to the citizens you will register to vote.
Please become familiar with the instructions and guidelines in this brochure and carry it with you while you perform your duties. If, in the course of your service, a question should arise which you are unable to answer, please contact the Elections Division for assistance.
Again, thank you for your service to the state of Texas.
Office of the Secretary of State
Elections Division
Volunteer Deputy Registrars are entrusted with the responsibility of officially registering voters in the State of Texas. They are appointed by county voter registrars and charged with helping increase voter registration in the state.
Qualifications
A person must be at least 18 years old and never have been convicted of failing to deliver a voter application to a voter registrar.
How to Become a Volunteer Deputy Registrar
- Contact the voter registrar in your county.
- If you are eligible, the voter registrar will issue you a certificate of appointment and give you a receipt book.
Duties of a Volunteer Deputy Registrar
A volunteer deputy voter registrar may distribute and accept a voter registration application form from any resident of the county who is:
- A United States citizen;
- A resident of the county;
- At least 17 years and 10 months of age;
- Not a convicted felon (unless the person's sentence has been completed, including probation or parole);
- Not a person who has been declared mentally disabled.
A volunteer deputy voter registrar may distribute and accept applications from voters who wish to change or correct information on their voter registration certificate (such as name or address).
Checklist for a Volunteer Deputy Registrar
You should have:
- A certificate of appointment;
- A pen;
- This brochure;
- Plenty of voter registration applications; and
- A receipt book.
The Texas Voting brochure provides information useful to you and applicants. It may be obtained from the Secretary of State's website at www.sos.state.tx.us or by calling 1.800.252.VOTE(8683).
Accepting Applications
- You may help a person fill out an application.
- Voters may correct or update information on their current voter registration certificate by filling out a new registration form and checking the "change" box.
- You may help a person fill out the registration form if he/she cannot read or has a physical disability.
- If an applicant cannot sign his/her name on the form, the applicant may make a mark on the signature line. Print the name of the applicant beside the mark. Sign your name and address as the witness and state the reason the applicant is unable to sign.
- You may allow another registered voter (or anyone who has submitted a registration application) to fill out and sign an application for his or her spouse, parent or child. That person must sign the application as "agent" and state the relationship to the applicant on the registration form. The "agent" must have the permission of the applicant to do this.
- Fill out a receipt for each applicant. Give the applicant the receipt. The duplicate receipt must be delivered to the voter registrar along with the application. You may wish to keep a copy or stub for your records.
Reviewing the Application
While the applicant is still in your presence, be sure to review the application for completeness. Be sure the application includes the following:
- Full name, including any middle, maiden, or former name;
- Residence address must be a street address or a description of the location of the residence;
- Valid mailing address, if mail can't be delivered to the residence address;
- Signature of applicant and date of signing;
- Date of birth, including month, day, and year;
- Citizenship question is answered either yes or no;
- Be sure the applicant has read the statements that he is signing regarding qualifications to register; and
- If an agent is registering for an applicant, be sure the agent provides his/her relationship to the applicant.
What you cannot do:
- Determine if the applicant is actually qualified to register to vote;
- Make the applicant provide his/her gender, social security or driver’s license number; or
- Make the applicant provide his/her telephone number.
When is the Registration Effective?
- Tell the applicant that he can vote as soon as the 30th day after submitting the application. This 30-day waiting period starts when the volunteer deputy registrar receives the application form.
- If the applicant is under 18, the registration will become effective on the 30th day after the voter registrar gets the application or on the applicant's 18th birthday, whichever comes later.
How long is the Registration Effective?
Tell the applicant that the registration will be automatically renewed every even-numbered year unless:
- the voter moves to another address; or
- is convicted of a felony and has not completed the sentence, probation or parole.
Address Changes
The voter must update the address on the registration if the voter moves within the county.
- The voter can make the change on the back of the voter registration certificate and mail it to the county voter registrar;
- Submit a new application form to the voter registrar and check the box for "change"; or
- Write a letter to the voter registrar explaining the change of address.
Tell voters that if they move to another county, they must re-register in the new county.
Name Changes
- Voters can make the change on the back of their voter registration certificate and mail it to the county voter registrar; or
- Submit a new application form to the voter registrar and check the box for "change"; or
- Write a letter to the voter registrar explaining the name change.
Delivery of Applications
You must deliver completed registration applications and receipts in person to the voter registrar no later than 5 p.m. on the 5th day after the date you receive them. FAILURE TO DELIVER AN APPLICATION IN A TIMELY MANNER IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
SPECIAL NOTE: To be eligible to vote, a person must be registered 30 days before Election Day. When you receive a completed application after the 34th day and before the 29th day before the date of any election in the county, you must deliver the application to the county voter registrar no later than 5 p.m. of the 29th day before Election Day. If the 29th day falls on a Saturday or Sunday or on a legal state or national holiday, the deadline for delivering the applications is extended to 5 p.m. of the next regular business day.
Length of Appointment
You may be appointed a deputy voter registrar at any time. However, your appointment as a deputy voter registrar can be terminated by the appointing authority if:
- You fail to deliver a completed voter registration application to the registrar; or
- If you failed to properly review a voter registration application.
- All election materials issued to a deputy registrar, including the certificate of appointment, receipt books, receipts, applications and other forms in the volunteer deputy's possession, must be returned or accounted for upon termination of appointment.
For more information, Contact:
The Secretary of State’s office, your County Clerk, County Elections Administrator or the Voter Registrar in your district.
SECRETARY OF STATE
Elections Division
P.O. Box 12060
Austin, Texas 78711-2060
512.463.5650 or 1.800.252.VOTE (8683)
Fax 512.475.2811, TTY 7.1.1
www.sos.state.tx.us
Rev: 01/31/08