About Us
The Voter Participation Center (VPC) is a research-driven, results-oriented nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing the participation and amplifying the voices of unmarried women (women who are single, widowed, divorced or separated) and other historically underrepresented groups in our democracy. The mission of the VPC is to boost the civic engagement of unmarried women, people of color and 18-29 year olds—the three demographic groups who comprise the Rising American Electorate (RAE). These Americans make up 53% of the voting-eligible population and are responsible for almost all of the U.S. population growth in recent years, but were only 42 percent of the 2010 electorate and 47% in 2008.

The VPC is committed to registering and mobilizing these voters during elections and public policy debates at levels that reflect their growing demographic strength and importance. The RAE is the fastest growing demographic group in America accounting for 81 percent of population growth between 2000 and 2010 and 95 percent between 2008 and 2010. But their electoral and policy involvement has not kept pace. That is why the VPC conducts groundbreaking research and develops and implements effective registration and mobilization programs and innovative approaches to help millions more unmarried women, people of color and young people become active participants in our democracy. The VPC is committed to year-round civic engagement that builds an infrastructure of citizens who take an active role in ensuring a representative democracy. The work of the VPC does not end with Election Day, it is just beginning.

The VPC was formerly known as Women’s Voices. Women Vote (WVWV). The name was formally changed in 2011 to reflect the fact the organization expanded its focus beyond its original emphasis on unmarried women to include the entire RAE. Unmarried women make up a large portion of the RAE and marital status is a top determinant of whether or not one registers, votes, and participates; the name change was also adopted because the same approaches used for unmarried women also work among and across the entire spectrum of the RAE.

Washington, DC (August 6, 2012) — The Voter Participation Center (VPC) is asking the Virginia State Board of Elections (VSBOE) to deny demands from the Romney for President campaign that could result in the rejection of 16,000 valid voter registration applications from qualified Virginians. Such an action could chill efforts by civic engagement groups to provide an important public service – getting more people on the voter rolls.

 
The General Counsel of the Romney campaign has asked the Virginia Attorney General and the state Board of Elections to investigate the VPC’s lawful voter registration efforts, and has urged the state to throw out VPC-generated “pre-populated” registration applications and to review all such applications received in the last two months.

 
The Voter Participation Center strongly believes that the call for an investigation is unmerited. There is no legal basis to review or reject any of the applications submitted or to throw out applications based on forms previously approved by the State Board of Elections. We urge the Board of Elections to reject calls for an investigation because:

 
• The VPC sends valid voter registration applications, just like those available at the DMV or on the state’s own website, to an individual that it believes is unregistered to vote.

 
• The VSBOE reviewed and approved the VPC forms. No mailing is sent without the proper review of the appropriate elections officials.

 
• The VPC used the technique of “pre-populating” the forms it sent to 197,000 Virginians believed to be unregistered, filling in names and addresses in order to streamline the completion of forms, eliminate entry errors created by handwriting and encourage more people to fill out the forms.

 
• The VSBOE did ask that VPC not continue this practice in future mailings. Though the VPC does not agree that any statutory or regulatory language requires this approach, VPC has agreed not to pre-populate the forms in its September mailings.

 
• No government body provides a list of unregistered voters or a complete list of people who are deceased (even the Social Security Administration’s recent list failed to include more than 1 million names) and no state provides a list of those ineligible to register. This puts the burden on civic engagement groups like the VPC to build its own list using data from commercial vendors and state voter files – which are known to contain errors. (In fact, a recent study by the Pew Commission on the States concluded that one-in-eight of all names are inaccurately included in state voter files). Given the flaws in the source lists, errors in the VPC mailing list are inevitable.

 
• The VPC is constantly working to improve the process it uses to screens its lists of unregistered citizens so they will be as accurate as possible. In fact, VPC will implement 13 list-protocol improvements before mailing more than four million voter registration applications in September.

 
• The VPC has specialized in helping people register through the use of mail-in registration forms. This is a process that has been authorized and encouraged in federal and state law for years. It is a time-proven method that provides a convenient and cost-effective way to register to vote and to expand and strengthen our democracy. Since 2004, the VPC has helped register over 1.5 million Americans. This cycle the VPC has been responsible for 420,000 Americans, including 16,000 Virginians, sending in voter registration applications – a substantial portion of new registration applications submitted in Virginia.

 
We urge the VSBOE to reject the Romney request and ensure that the VPC and its allies can continue to open up democracy to all eligible citizens by encouraging them to register and vote.

 
Regardless of the VSBOE’s decision, the Voter Participation Center plans to continue our work helping qualified Virginians exercise their most American of rights – the right to vote.

Good morning. My name is Katie O’Connor and I am a staff attorney with Advancement Project, a non-partisan voting rights organization with a program in Virginia that works to ensure that all eligible voters have a right to vote. I am here today to testify in support of the Voter Participation Center and against any efforts to obstruct the important work that they do. As you know, the Romney for President campaign has asked this board to refer the Voter Participation Center to the Attorney General for a criminal investigation, has requested the board to direct county registrars to reject voter registration forms that originated with VPC, and has asked the board to review all registered voters who registered in the last two months. We at Advancement Project strongly object to these requests.

The VPC does valuable and important work to engage the millions of eligible but unregistered voters in America by mailing them voter registration applications. It is then up to the prospective voter to submit the application and up to the election authority to process the application in compliance with state and federal law. The VPC is a well respected, non-partisan, research-driven organization dedicated to increasing democratic participation by getting applications to the people who need them. The VPC’s registration, turnout and mobilization programs have been incredibly effective. In 2008, for instance,87.8% of the 946,822 applicants who used VPC forms were successful registrants and 77% of them voted.

The Romney campaign has asked this board to direct county registrars to reject voter registration forms that have been pre-populated by VPC. Nothing in the Virginia Code or the SBE regulations would support their request and this is nothing more than an attempt to undercut the group’s legitimate efforts to help unregistered citizens register to vote. Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-417 clearly states that a registrar “shall register every resident of his county or city who has the qualifications required by the Constitution of Virginia and this title and who applies … at the time and in the manner required by law.” Processing of registration forms, and registering the qualified voters who complete those forms, is a mandatory function of the registrars and registrars do not have discretion to do otherwise.

Registrars also lack the authority to reject voter registration forms based on the pre-population of some of the fields thereon. Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-418 requires the applicant to “provide” the information requested on the form and, unless she has a physical disability, to sign the form. There is no explicit prohibition on pre-populating forms or on receiving assistance in completing forms and state law strictly dictates the reasons an application may be rejected. The 2012 Virginia General Registrar and Electoral Board Manual lists the following reasons for denying a voter registration application: the applicant provided incomplete information on the application; the applicant provided information that indicates he is not qualified to register (e.g., too young, convicted felon, or not a citizen); the applicant did not sign the application; there is reason to believe that the applicant has not yet moved to the address given; there is reason to believe that the applicant no longer lives at the address given; or the registrar determines the applicant matches a prohibited voter record. Thus, there is no legal basis for denying registration due to the pre-population of fields on an applicant’s registration form.

The Romney campaign also wants the Board to investigate every person who has registered in the last two months, but this too would be illegal. Under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), once a registrant has been deemed eligible to vote based on the information on her registration form, she may not be removed from the registration rolls except at her own request or by reason of a felony conviction, mental incapacity, death, or change of residence. 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-6(a)(3) and (4). Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-427 mirrors this federal mandate and does not allow for cancellation of registration unless certain procedures are followed. Without individualized information that raises a question about a voter’s eligibility, an investigation into her eligibility is unwarranted and her removal from the registration rolls following such an investigation would be illegal. Moreover, we acknowledge and commend the diligence and determination of local officials who seek to ensure that we have an expanded electorate that reflects the diversity of our nation – one voter registration application at a time. It is simply outrageous for the Romney campaign and, in turn, the board to add unreasonable and unnecessary new burdens on the shoulders of conscientious local election officials at this eleventh hour before a presidential election.

Finally, without exhibiting any evidence of criminal wrongdoing, the Romney campaign has asked the board to refer the Voter Participation Center to the Virginia Attorney General for criminal investigation. A criminal investigation into the work of the VPC would serve only to intimidate this and other organizations that seek to register new voters. The VPC and organizations like it are making it easier to register to vote by getting registration applications in the hands of people who need them. They have broken no laws. A recent report issued by the Pew Center on the States found that over 51 million eligible Americans, or nearly 25%, are not registered to vote. This stunning statistic should be the focus of our collective energies. Instead of harassing non-profit organizations seeking to help register Virginia voters, the board should be encouraging unregistered
voters to participate in the democratic process.

Thank you.