The proposed information collection is necessary to meet requirements of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 15301). Section 244 of HAVA requires the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to conduct a study of the effects of HAVA §303(b) on (1) first-time mail registrants who vote in person, (2) voter registration, (3) the accuracy of voter rolls, and (4) existing state practices. Upon completion of the study, the EAC is required to submit a report to the President and Congress on the study together with such recommendations for administrative and legislative action as the EAC determines appropriate.
The EAC is requesting an emergency review of the information collection referenced below. In compliance with the requirement of section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the EAC has submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the following requirements for emergency review. The EAC is requesting an emergency review because the collection of this information is needed before the expiration of the normal time limits under OMB's regulations at 5 CFR Part 1320(a)(2)(ii). The information collection at issue is necessary in order to conduct a study required by Section 244 of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 on the effects of Section 303(b) of HAVA on 1) first-time mail registrants who vote in person, 2) voter registration, 3) the accuracy of voter rolls, and 4) existing state practices. Upon completion of this study, the EAC is required to submit a report to the President and Congress on the study together with such recommendations for administrative and legislative actions as the EAC determines appropriate; this report was due no later than 18 months after the date on which Section 303(b)(2) took effect.
The study will take approximately nine (9) months to complete, at which time there will be approximately one (1) year until the 2008 Federal elections. Ensuring that this information is available to election administrators and policymakers in time to be of use for the 2008 Election Cycle is essential to the public welfare. In addition, statistical analyses on respondent behavior to voluntary surveys have shown that the interest level of potential respondents, and thus the response rate, drops dramatically as time passes after the event in question, which in this case, is the respondents interaction and experience with the electoral system during the General Election of 2006. It is a well documented fact that respondents tend to forget or donÂt adequately recollect processes as time passes. The validity of the data will greatly suffer if the collection commences much after Election Day. The EAC cannot reasonably comply with the normal clearance procedures because failure to implement this study in an expedited fashion is reasonably likely to prevent or disrupt the collection, as stated in 5 CFR 1320.13(a)(2)(i), and further extend the deadline established in HAVA for this study.
US Code:
42 USC 15301
Name of Law: Help America Vote Act of 2002
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Form EAC-RS03 EAC First-Time Voters Who Register to Vote by Mail - Focus Groups
First-Time Voters - Supporting Statement A.doc
EAC First-Time Voters Who Register to Vote by Mail - Focus Groups