TRAINING FOR TEXAS VOLUNTEER DEPUTY

REGISTRARS (VDR)

Dallas County Elections Department 2377 N. Stemmons Fwy #820- Dallas, TX 75207

dallascountyvotes.org

Toni Pippins-Poole, CERA, CCPA Elections Administrator

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TABLE OF CONTENTS • Before Getting Started • Qualifications to be a Volunteer Deputy • Length of Appointment • Role of a Volunteer Deputy Registrar • Voter Registration • Upcoming elections

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SPECIAL NOTICE Before getting started

• A person may not receive another person’s registrationapplication until satisfactorily completing training developedor approved by the Secretary of State and is appointed avolunteer deputy registrar.

• At the time of appointment, Dallas County will advise thevolunteer deputy registrar of any county-specific proceduresfor processing voter applications and that the onlyrequirements for voter registration are those prescribed bystate law or by the Secretary of State.

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Qualifications D

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Qualifications to be a Volunteer Deputy Registrar

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• be 18 years of age or older• be a United States Citizen• not have been determined by a final judgment of a court

exercising probate jurisdiction to be:1. totally mentally incapacitated, or2. partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote

• never have been convicted of failing to deliver a voterregistration application to a voter registrar

• not have been finally convicted of a felony, or, if convicted,must have

1. fully discharged the sentence, including any term ofincarceration, parole, or supervision, or 2. been pardoned or otherwise released from theresulting disability to vote

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• not have been finally convicted of identity theft under Section 32.51 of the Texas Penal Code

• be a Texas resident

NOTE: A county voter registrar may not reappoint a person whose appointment as a volunteer deputy registrar is terminated either for a final conviction under (1) Section 13.043, Texas Election Code, relating to delivery of completed registration applications or (2) Section 13.008, Texas Election Code, relating to performance- based compensation for volunteer deputy registrars.

Qualifications Continued

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Length of

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Length of Appointment

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• A person who meets the qualifications may beappointed a volunteer deputy registrar at anytime.

• All appointments expire on December 31st ofevery even-numbered year.

Length of Appointment Continued

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Your appointment as a volunteer deputy registrar MAY be terminated if it is determined that you:

• failed to properly review a voter registrationapplication;

• intentionally destroyed or physically altered aregistration application; or

• engaged in any other activity that conflicts with yourresponsibilities as a volunteer deputy registrar.

Your appointment as a volunteer deputy registrar WILL be terminated if you are:

• finally convicted of an offense under the lawrelating to performance-based compensation forvoter registration, Section 13.008, Texas ElectionCode; or

• finally convicted of an offense under the lawrelating to a failure to deliver a completed voterregistration application to the county voterregistrar, Section 13.043, Texas Election Code.

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Length of Appointment Continued

The Role of a Volunteer Deputy

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Supplies Needed • Certificate of Appointment*• Texas Volunteer Deputy Registrar Guide and any other

handbook provided by your appointing authority*• Green Voter Registration Applications with receipts that tear

off.• White Voter Registration Cards• Pens

*All election materials issued to a volunteer deputy registrar,including the Certificate of Appointment, applications and other forms in the volunteer deputy registrar’s possession, must be returned or accounted for upon termination of appointment, not later than the second day after the volunteer deputy registrar receives the termination notice.

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Supplies Needed Continued • County voter registrar will provide you with applications

containing the county return address. If your countyvoter registrar does not have enough applications toprovide to you, you may print blank applications forvolunteer deputy registrars from the Secretary of State’swebsite. These applications should only be distributed toapplicants residing in the county. Should you receivegeneric applications containing the secretary of state’sreturn address, you can distribute to anyone residing inany county; however, you can only accept applicationsfrom those registering within the county in which youwere appointed.

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Distributing and Accepting

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Distribute and Accept

A volunteer deputy registrar assists the county voter registrar who appointed him or her to encourage voter registration. A volunteer deputy registrar:

• may distribute voter registration applications to anyone whorequests one.

• may distribute and accept a completed voter registrationapplication from any resident of the county who is:

1. a United State citizen;2. a resident of the county;3. at least 17 years and 10 months of age;4. not a convicted felon (unless the person’s sentence has been

completed, including probation or parole or the person has beenpardoned or otherwise released from the resulting disability tovote);

5. not a person determined by a final judgment of a courtexercising probate jurisdiction to be (1) totally mentallyincapacitated; or (2) partially mentally incapacitated without theright to vote.

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Distribute and Accept Continued

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• You may distribute and accept a completed voterregistration application from any resident of the countywho wishes to change or correct information on his/hervoter registration certificate (such as name or address).

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Assisting Applicants

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Assisting Applicants

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• You may assist any resident of the county incompleting a voter registration application, ifhe/she cannot read, or has a physical disability.

• If an applicant cannot sign his/her name on theapplication, the applicant may make a mark onthe signature line. Print the name of theapplicant beside the mark. Sign your name andaddress as the witness and state the reason theapplicant is unable to sign.

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Assisting Applicants Continued

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• You may allow another registered voter (or anyone who has submitted a registration application) to fill out and sign an application for his/her spouse, parent or child. That person must sign the application as "agent" and state the relationship to the applicant on the application. The "agent" must have the permission of the applicant to do this.

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Reviewing The Applications

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MUST BE SIGNED AND DATED

Reviewing Applications ALL Questions in Section 1 MUST be answered before Proceeding

A voter registration application you accept from any resident of the county should include the following:

• Section 1: Applicant must select why they are submitting the application (new application, change to current information or request for replacement). Applicant must also answer citizenship and age question;

• Section 2: Full name, including any middle, maiden, or former name;

• Section 3: Residence address must be a street address or a description of the location of the residence;

• Section 4: Valid mailing address, if mail can't be delivered to the residence address;

• Section 5: City and County of Former Residence in Texas;

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Application should include;

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Application should include; Continued

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• Section 6: Date of birth, including month, day, and year; • Section 9: Texas Driver’s License No., Texas Personal I.D. No.

or last 4 digits of social security number. If the applicant hasn’t been issued any of these items, he or she must check the box in this section affirming this statement; and

• Section 10: Signature of applicant and date of signing. Be sure the applicant has read the statements that he/she 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.

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Types of Voter Registration Cards

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White cards are handed to Applicant and must be mailed in by Applicant

Green cards are to be delivered to our office by a VDR-No later than 5 days after Voter Registration Application was filled out.

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Standard Black and White Application

• Standard Application (White in Color): This application must be filled out and mailed back by the applicant. If you are not deputized, you may only pass out the white application for the voter to return at their convenience. Again, the application must be mailed; it cannot be brought into the voter registration office by hand, because it is necessary that there is a postal cancellation (postmark). There is a deadline to register to vote 30 days before every election, in order to be eligible to vote in that election. The postmark on the back of the application determines which cards were received by the cutoff date.

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Volunteer Deputy Applications (Green) Green voter application is only to be used by deputy registrars.

• If the applicant does not have time to fill outthe green application, please provide them awhite application to mail in. The greenapplication can only be returned to the voterregistrar’s office by hand, and only by a deputyregistrar. These applications cannot be mailedin. The card must be returned in person to thevoter registration office within five (5) calendardays of being signed by the voter. Just as the30-day cutoff date applies to the whiteapplications, this rule also applies to the greenapplications you have five (5) calendar days toreturn .

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Reviewing Applications

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• Each voter registration application should bereviewed in the presence of the applicant.

• If the voter registration application does notcontain all the required information, includingthe required signature, the volunteer deputyregistrar shall return the application to theapplicant for completion and resubmission.

• A volunteer deputy registrar MAY NOT:• determine if the applicant is actually qualified to register to

vote; or• make the applicant provide his/her gender or telephone

number.

REGISTRATION RECEIPT

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Voter Registration Receipts In Dallas County Every VDR Voter Registration Card has duplicate receipts that tear off in the perforated line. There are 2 one for the voter and one for VDR.

• Prepare a receipt induplicate

• Sign the receipt and givethe duplicate to theapplicant.

• Keep the additional receiptfor your records. D

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Volunteer Deputy VR Cards

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Receipt for Deputy Registrar

Receipt for Applicant

Front Back- Applicants Receipt

Make sure everything is clearly and thoroughly filled out.

Do not keep copies of completed voter registration applications because these documents contain information that is confidential by law.

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Delivery of Applications and

Receipts

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Delivery of VDR Green Cards

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• You must deliver completed registration applications in person to the county voter registrar who appointed you no later than 4:30 p.m. on the 5th day after the date you receive them

• Alternatively, you may deliver completed registration applications to the county voter registrar through another volunteer deputy registrar appointed by the county voter registrar no later than 4:30 p.m. on the 5th day after the date you receive them.

• You MAY NOT deliver the application by mail.

Special Note

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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 5:00 p.m. of the 29th day before Election Day. If the 29th day falls on a Sat or Sunday or on a legal state or national holiday, the deadline for delivering the applications is extended to 5:00 p.m. of the next regular business day.

FAILURE TO DELIVER AN APPLICATION IN A TIMELY

MANNER IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE

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Voter Registration Dal

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Voter Name or Address Changes

If the voter changes name or moves within the same county, his/her voter registration can be updated by:

• making the change on the back of the voter registration

certificate and mailing it to the county voter registrar; • submitting a new application form to the voter registrar

and checking the box for "change"; • writing a letter to the voter registrar explaining the change

of address; or • submitting a change of name/address online at

www.Texas.gov.

If the voter moves to another county, they must re-register in the new county of residence.

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Effective Date of Registration

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• The applicant 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.

Period of Effectiveness

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• Voter registration will be automatically renewed every even-numbered year unless:

• the voter moves to another address; or • the voter is convicted of a felony and

has not completed the sentence, probation or parole or been otherwise pardoned or released from the resulting disability to vote. 37

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions Q: I have been designated a deputy registrar from County X. I will be at an event that will have attendees from County X along with County Y and County Z. May I register people from County Y and County Z? A: No. Volunteer deputy registrar status is conferred on a county-by-county basis. To accept applications for Y or Z counties, you would have to become a volunteer deputy registrar for those counties. You could certainly give applications to the attendees from County Y and County Z and direct them to mail the application to the appropriate county voter registrar’s office. Under Section 13.044 of the Code, a person commits a Class C misdemeanor by acting as a volunteer deputy registrar when he or she does not have an effective appointment as a deputy registrar. Q: I am a candidate and/or working for a campaign. May I serve as a volunteer deputy registrar? A: Yes. There is no prohibition against a candidate or a campaign worker serving as a deputy registrar, as long as they otherwise meet the “Qualifications” described above and have been officially appointed as a volunteer deputy registrar. Similarly, there is no prohibition against a volunteer deputy registrar registering voters at a campaign rally or event. While working a rally or public event, a volunteer deputy registrar must offer registration to anyone who requests it.

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FAQ - Continued Q: Is there a minimum age to become a volunteer deputy registrar? A: Yes. A person must be at least 18 years of age to become a volunteer deputy registrar. Q: I just want to hand out blank voter registration application forms and encourage people to register to vote. Can I do that without being appointed as a volunteer deputy registrar? A: Yes. Anyone can hand out blank application forms to voters for the voters to fill out and mail in themselves. If this is all you want to do, you do not have to be a volunteer deputy registrar. Also, if you are already a volunteer deputy registrar in one county, you can hand out blank forms in other counties where you are not a volunteer deputy. It is the voter’s handing the application back to you to review and to deliver to the registrar that triggers the requirement to be an authorized volunteer deputy registrar.

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FAQ- Continued Q: What if someone says he or she is already registered? A: You may wish to advise the person that the new application form will be treated as an update if the old registration is in the same county and the voter is providing new information. If the person moved to a new county, he or she will need to register to vote in the new county.

Q: How long do I have to keep my receipt books? A: It is not addressed in the Code, but we would suggest that you should retain the receipt books for 22 months following the election closest to the effective date of the applications. Please communicate with your county voter registrar, who may have their own timeline of retaining the receipt books.

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Questions & Answers

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Certificate of Appointment

Certificate of Appointment Volunteer Deputy #__________

I hereby certify that Expires

___________________ ___________ Name

__________________________________________________________________ Address

is a duly qualified Deputy Voter Registrar for the County of Dallas, Texas, and is authorized to assist in preparation of applications for Voter Registration and to deliver completed applications to this office until:

_____________________________________________________________ Date

_________________________ Deputy Registrar

____________________________ Toni Pippins-Poole, CERA, CCPA

Elections Administraton

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DALLAS COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT

CCEERRTTIIFFIICCAATTEE OOFF AAPPPPOOIINNTTMMEENNTT FFOORR VVOOLLUUNNTTEEEERR DDEEPPUUTTYY RREEGGIISSTTRRAARR

Name of Appointee: _______________________________________________

Residence Address: ________________________________________________

Residence City, Zip Code: ___________________________________________

E-mail Address: ___________________________________________________

Home/Cell Phone: ___________________ Work Phone: __________________

I, Toni Pippins-Poole, Voter Registrar for Dallas County, do hereby appoint

____________________________________ as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar for Dallas County. I

further certify that the aforementioned volunteer deputy registrar has undergone training adopted by the

Texas Secretary of State and is hereby appointed for a term to begin on ____________________ and

expire on December 31 of every even-numbered year. The appointment shall terminate on an earlier date

if the appointee receives a final conviction for an offense for failure to deliver a voter registration

application or if the appointee is finally convicted of an offense under the law relating to performance-

based compensation voter registrations. If the voter registrar determines that the volunteer deputy

registrar failed to adequately review a voter registration application, the appointment may also be

terminated before the expiration date of the appointment.

_____________________________ ______________________________ Deputy ID Number Signature of Voter Registrar

______________________________ ______________________________ VUID Number Signature of Appointee

______________________________ ______________________________ Precinct Number Date of Appointment

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: Date of Termination: ____________________________________________________________________

Reason for Termination: _________________________________________________________________

You must carry your Certificate Card when you are out registering

people to vote

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Helpful Resources Remember these helpful resources…

Contact the Dallas County Voter Registrar at: • (214) 819-6389• (214) 637-7937

• Please contact the Dallas County ElectionsDepartment at (214) 819-6300, or visit us atwww.dallascountyvotes.org if you should have anyquestions.

• Training resources are available atwww.dallascountyvotes.org

• This information may also be found at:www.sos.state.tx.us or www.votetexas.gov

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Thank you for your service as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar

Esmeralda Garcia 214-819-6346 esmeralda.l.garcia@dallascounty.org

Dallas County Elections Department 2377 N. Stemmons Frwy., Suite. 820

Dallas, TX 75207