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The Truth About Voter Verification

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By KURT S. BROWNING

The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2008

There have been many misstatements and confusion over the recent implementation of the Voter Verification law otherwise known as the "No-Match-No Vote" law. The Division of Elections' mission along with local supervisors of elections is to register voters and make sure that they can cast a ballot on Election Day that will be counted. And just to clarify, this law will not affect the status of the 10.7 million already registered voters. The law will apply to new applications received on or after Sept. 8, 2008.

The Voter Verification law became effective January 2006. It was in effect until December 2007 when a court first ordered the department to stop the almost two-year old process. That ruling was overturned on appeal. The law was re-implemented Sept. 8, 2008. The law is being implemented now because the court order denying the injunction became final in July. The implementation was delayed by pending litigation until June 2008, waiting for U.S. Department of Justice preclearance in July 2008, time needed to reprogram the system to automatically notice voters and set up revised procedures, and the time needed to prepare supervisors who were otherwise engaged in administering the 2008 primary.

Unlike what activists are saying, obvious errors, including nicknames or typos, will be resolved, and that applicant will be registered to vote. Every voter registration applicant must provide a Florida driver's license number, state identification card number or the last four digits of the social security number. The identification number is automatically cross-checked against the Florida driver's license database or the Social Security Administration database. If that number does not match, the Bureau of Voter Registration Services manually reviews for typographical errors or a difference between a nickname and formal name based on available records and the actual voter registration application.

If the number still cannot be matched, the applicant is notified to provide a photocopy of their identification by mail, fax or e-mail; or the applicant may show their identification in person. If proof is provided before the election, the applicant is able to vote a regular ballot. If proof is not provided before the election, the person may vote a provisional ballot. The person may provide proof up until 5 p.m. of the second day after the election for the ballot to be counted.

This law does not keep any person with an unverified number from being able to vote. This law is about verifying identity at the time of registration, so that when the voter goes to the polls the voter can vote a regular ballot, not a provisional ballot. A voter can show a driver's license, a Florida identification card from DSHMV, a passport, a debit or credit card, military identification, student identification, retirement center identification, neighborhood association identification and public assistance identification on Election Day.

Kurt Browning is Florida secretary of state.

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