California Voter Registration form

I. NVRA Requirements for DMV Voter Registration

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to provide voter registration services to people who apply for, renew or change an address for a driver license or personal identification card (DL/ID) issued by the DMV. Information regarding an applicant's decision whether or not to register to vote must be kept confidential and may not be used for any purpose other than voter registration. The office at which an applicant submits a voter registration application must also remain confidential and may be used only for voter registration purposes. Any change of address form submitted for a DL/ID must also serve as a notice of change of address for voter registration purposes, unless the individual indicates otherwise on the change of address form.

Voter Registration Services Provided by the DMV

Provide a Voter Registration Card (VRC) attached to DL/ID application forms (DL 44 and DL 44C); Include with the DL/ID Renewal By Mail/Internet notice letters a VRC for people who may have moved to a different county; Provide county VRCs separate from the DL/ID application forms for customers who want to register to vote but who are not applying for, renewing, or changing an address for a DL/ID; Accept change of address requests for DL/ID purposes as notice of change of address for voter registration purposes, unless the registrant indicates otherwise on the change of address form; On a daily basis, transmit change of address data electronically to the Secretary of State; Expeditiously transmit completed VRCs to the local county elections office. At a minimum, the NVRA requires VRCs to be forwarded within 10 days of acceptance; however, VRCs received within five days of the voter registration deadline must be transmitted no later than five days after acceptance; Provide voter registration information and a link to the Secretary of State's website on the DMV's website and on DL/ID change of address Internet transactions; and Refer all telephone or in-person inquiries from a customer regarding voter registration status to the county elections office.

II. DMV Forms and Procedures

In Person
DL/ID Application/Renewal/Replacement – DL 44/DL 44C
A VRC is attached to the DL/ID application, called the DL 44 (or DL 44C for commercial licenses), which is completed by applicants applying in person for a new, renewal, or replacement DL/ID. The applicant may use this VRC to register to vote or the applicant may decline to register to vote by indicating that choice on the DL 44.

The DL 44 form includes Section 6, which addresses two questions:

Do you wish to register to vote or change your political party preference?
The applicant has the choice of two responses to this question: YES or NO. The DMV employee ensures that the applicant checks one of the two boxes.
YESIf the applicant checks this box, the form instructs the applicant to complete the attached VRC. The DMV employee will also prompt any applicant who checks this box to complete the attached VRC. If the applicant would like to complete the VRC later, he or she is given a county VRC that can be taken from the DMV field office and mailed to the county elections office address that is preprinted on the VRC and is postage-paid. A voter registration receipt is printed and given to the applicant.NOIf the applicant checks this box, the form instructs the applicant not to complete the attached VRC. However, the applicant still has the option of completing or taking home the VRC.

If the applicant checks neither box, then the DMV employee asks the applicant to check either YES or NO.

Do you wish to change your voter address?
This section applies to applicants who are currently registered to vote. If the applicant does not know if they have moved to a different county, the DMV will verify this information. The applicant has the choice of two checkboxes:
CTo a new county
The applicant is instructed to check the box marked "C" and to complete the attached VRC. The DMV employee enters the information into the system and a voter registration receipt is printed and given to the applicant.SWithin the same county
The applicant is instructed to check the box marked "S" and not complete the attached VRC. The change of address is captured by the DMV system and electronically sent to the Secretary of State as part of the daily change of address file.

Each county elections office is responsible for forwarding the VRCs of applicants residing in other counties to the appropriate county elections office.

Source: www.sos.ca.gov