Help America Vote Act
- On October 29, 2002, President Bush signed HR 3295, the Help America Vote Act ("HAVA"), a federal election reform bill that provides funding to the states for the improvement of elections.
Key Aspects of HAVA...
Punch Card BuyoutJurisdictions with precincts that used a punch card voting machine in the 2000 election qualified for funding made available through HAVA Title 1. Over $12 million dollars was distributed between 43 Local Election Authorities who participated in the punch card buyout program. Missouri requested and received a waiver of the November 2004 deadline for punch card replacement. The punch card voting systems were replaced by the first federal election held after January 1, 2006.
Accessible and “Second Chance” Voting Equipment Funds
HAVA requires that every polling place have at least one voting system equipped for persons with disabilities. Voting systems must allow the voter to verify his or her selected votes, notify the voter of over votes, and provide the voter with the ability to change or correct errors on his or her ballot before the ballot is cast and counted. To date, the Secretary of State’s office has distributed over $29 million in HAVA Title II funding between the 116 Local Election Authorities to purchase and maintain authorized voting equipment.
Poll Worker Training
To meet voting information requirements outlined in HAVA, the Secretary of State’s office has provided training meetings and materials to election officials and offered over $2.5 million in grants to the Local Election Authorities to assist with training poll workers.
Missouri Centralized Voter Registration Database
The Missouri Centralized Voter Registration database was created to meet the requirements outlined in HAVA for a “uniform, official, centralized, interactive computerized statewide voter registration list.” The Secretary of State’s office works with each Local Election Authority to ensure the voter registration lists are accurate and current.
State Plan
Title II required each state to submit a “State Plan” to the federal government prior to receiving funds from HAVA. In order to develop this plan, the 59 member Missouri State Plan Committee was established, consisting of local election authorities and members of interest groups. This Committee met at various times February through May, 2003 and Missouri’s State Plan was submitted to the Federal Election Commission on August 20, 2003. More information on the State Plan and a schedule of State Plan Committee meetings held can be found at the link on this page.
Since the publication of Missouri’s State Plan, the Secretary of State has appointed several committees to address the requirements of the Plan. These committees, meeting with staff from the Secretary of State’s office, have begun the process of implementing the requirements of HAVA.
-
Title III Voting Requirements
Title III establishes a set of requirements that states must implement for any federal election. The Election Assistance Commission has certified that Missouri has met these requirements.