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TANF Manual Chapter 400 Appendix II Voter Registration 7/21 Page 1

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) requires local social services agencies to offer each customer of TANF, SNAP and Medicaid an opportunity to apply to register to vote. TANF applicants will be offered this opportunity at initial application. TANF recipients will be offered this opportunity at renewal. Additionally, voter registration application services must be provided any time a change of address is reported to the local agency in person. If the change of address is not made in person, the Voter Registration Agency Certification (SBE 032-03-945 07/09), and a voter registration form https://fusion.dss.virginia.gov/bp/BP-Home/VOTER-REGISTRATION, must be mailed to the client’s new address. The EW must document the case record indicating the forms have been sent. In complying with the requirements of the NVRA, local agency staff must provide each applicant and recipient the same degree of assistance in completing their voter registration application as they do in completing the application for public assistance. Local staff must be trained annually for the NVRA. The training module is located in the Virginia Learning Center at https://covlc.virginia.gov.

I. Prohibitions - Local social services agencies and agency staff are prohibited from the following activities when providing voter registration application services:

A. seeking to influence a customer's political preference;

B. displaying any political preference or party affiliation;

C. making any statement to the customer or taking any action the purpose or effect of which is to discourage the individual from applying to register to vote; or

D. making any statement to a customer or taking any action the purpose of which is to lead the individual to believe that a decision to register or not register has any impact on the individual's eligibility for assistance or the benefit level that they may be entitled to receive.

II. Voter Registration Services - Each local social services agency must provide the following services:

A. distribution of voter registration application forms;

B. assistance to customers in completing the registration application form, unless such assistance is refused, and ensuring that all spaces on the form are completed;

C. insuring that the certification statement on the application for benefits or statement of facts is completed; and

TANF Transmittal 71