Post-Election Voting Survey of State Election Officials (SEOs)

2020 Post-Election Voting Survey of SEOs

FVAP ProDUCTS AND SERVICES

The first section of this survey will ask about your experience using five different Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) products and services in 2020.

On the next page, please read the following descriptions of these FVAP products and services carefully. You can reference these descriptions during the survey by using the links at the bottom of your screen.

FVAP.gov

Provides customized, voting-related information and resources for all Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) voters and election officials. FVAP.gov supplies State-specific election information, including dates, deadlines and contact information that voters can rely on to adhere to their State’s absentee voting process. Other products and services, such as the election official online training module, are available at FVAP.gov.

Staff Support

FVAP staff is available to provide support to election officials, including voting information, voter outreach materials and State-specific updates that can be communicated with voters. FVAP staff can be reached by email at [email protected] or by using a toll-free telephone service.

Address Look-Up Service

Election officials can contact FVAP when a ballot sent to a military Service member is returned and FVAP will attempt to find the member’s current address information.

Election Official (EO) Online Training

A short, interactive course created for election officials. It provides information on UOCAVA-related laws, clarifies the absentee voting process, and includes an overview of FVAP’s role in assisting your office with UOCAVA voters.

QUSEWEB QUSESTF QUSESAS QUSEADD QUSETRN

1. In 2020, did your office use any of the following FVAP products or services? Mark “Yes” or “No” for each item.

2 Yes
1 No
98 Not applicable; my office was not aware of this FVAP product/service
a. FVAP.gov..
b. FVAP staff support..
c. FVAP military address look-up service.
d. FVAP EO online training..

QSATWEB QSATSTF QSATSAS QSATADD QSATTRN

2. [Ask if QUSEWEB = 2 OR QUSESAS= 1|2 OR QUSEADD = 1|2 OR QUSETRN = 1|2, else skip to QREF] How satisfied was your office with the following FVAP products or services?

5 Very satisfied
4 Satisfied
3 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
2 Dissatisfied
1 Very dissatisfied
a. FVAP.gov..
b. FVAP staff support..
c. FVAP military address look-up service.
d. FVAP EO online training..

QSATSP

2sp. [Ask if QSATWEB = 1|2 OR QSATSAS= 1|2 OR QSATADD = 1|2 OR QSATTRN = 1|2, else skip to QREF] Please explain why you were not satisfied with the following products or services from FVAP: [INSERT “FVAP.gov” if QSATWEB= 1|2, INSERT “FVAP staff support” if QSATSTF = 1|2, INSERT “FVAP State affairs specialist” if QSATSAS = 1|2, INSERT “FVAP address look-up service” if QSATADD = 1|2, INSERT “FVAP EO online training” if QSATTRN= 1|2]. Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QREFWEB QREFSTF QREFSAS QREFADD QREFTRN

3. In 2020, did your office refer any local election officials (LEO) to the following FVAP products or services? Mark “Yes” or “No” for each item.

2 Yes
1 No
98 Not applicable; my office was not aware of this FVAP product/service
a. FVAP.gov..
b. FVAP staff support..
c. FVAP military address look-up service.
d. FVAP EO online training..

FVAP.GOV

QWEBNOT

4. [Ask if QUSEWEB=1/2 AND QREFWEB =1] In 2020, what was the main reason your office did not share information about FVAP.gov with LEOs?

1		Did not believe FVAP.gov offered the assistance LEOs needed
2		Did not believe FVAP.gov offered accurate information
3		LEOs received comparable assistance from another resource
4		LEOs did not need assistance or information available on FVAP.gov
5		Some other reason

QWEBNOTSP

4sp. How can FVAP improve FVAP.gov? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

FVAP STAFF SUPPORT

QSTREA QSTREB QSTREC QSTRED QSTREE QSTREF QSTREG

5. [Ask if QUSESTF=1/2 AND QREFSTF=2, else skip to QSTFNOT] In 2020, did your office refer any LEOs to FVAP staff support for any of the following reasons? Mark “Yes” or “No” for each item.

2 Yes
1 No
a. To request FVAP voting supplies or outreach materials..
b. To receive information about training and/or other FVAP resources.
c. To resolve a problem for an LEO.
d. To suggest changes to FVAP publications or programs.
e. To update contact information for a local election office.
f. To obtain clarification about UOCAVA laws.
g. Some other reason

QSTFRESP

5sp. [Ask if QSTFREG = 2, else skip to QSTFNOT] Please specify the other reason(s) your office referred LEOs to FVAP staff support in 2020. Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QSTFNOT

6. [Ask if QUSESTF = 1/2 AND QREFSTF = 1] In 2020, what was the main reason your office did not refer LEOs to FVAP staff support for assistance?

1		Did not believe FVAP staff offered the assistance LEOs needed.
2		Did not believe FVAP staff offered accurate information.
3		Did not believe FVAP staff provided timely responses.
4		LEOs received comparable assistance from another resource.
5		LEOs did not need assistance or information from FVAP staff.
6		Some other reason

QSTFNOTSP

6sp. How can FVAP improve the assistance provided by FVAP staff support? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

FVAP POLICY AND RESEARCH

TRAINNOQSASPA QSASPB QSASPC QSASPD

7. During 2020, did your office use any of the following FVAP policy-related products? Mark “Yes” or “No” for each item.

2 Yes
1 No
a. Public policy papers..
b. FVAP research (e.g., Post-Election Survey or comparisons of military and civilian voting rates).
c. FVAP congressional reports.
d. Monthly EO newsletter.

TRAINNOQSASPUSFA QSASPUSFB QSASPUSFC QSASPUSFD

8. [Ask if QSASPA = 2 OR QSASPB = 2 OR QSASPC = 2 OR QSASPD = 2, else skip to QVAG] How useful were the following FVAP policy-related products? Mark one answer for each statement.

4 Very useful
3 Useful
2 Somewhat useful
1 Not useful
a. Public policy papers..
b. FVAP research (e.g., Post-Election Survey or comparisons of military and civilian voting rates).
c. FVAP congressional reports.
d. Monthly EO newsletter.

QRESTOP

9. FVAP conducts periodic research on important election topics. On what policy topic(s) would you most want FVAP to disseminate new research? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

FVAP ELECTION OFFICIAL (EO) ONLINE TRAINING

QTRNNOT

10. [Ask if QUSETRN = 1|2 AND QREFTRN = 1, else skip to QTRNNOTSP] : In 2020, what was the main reason your office did not refer LEOs to the FVAP EO online training?

1		Did not believe FVAP.gov offered the assistance LEOs needed.
2		Did not believe FVAP.gov offered accurate information.
3		LEOs received comparable assistance from another resource.
4		LEOs did not need any training.
5		Some other reason

QTRNNOTSP

10sp. How can FVAP improve the FVAP EO online training? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QTRNTYPEA QTRNTYPEB QTRNTYPEC QTRNTYPED QTRNTYPEE

11. FVAP provides training to election officials in various formats. How useful would each of the following types of training formats be for LEOs in your State? Mark one answer for each statement.

4 Very useful
3 Useful
2 Somewhat useful
1 Not useful
a. Online training modules
b. In-person training
c. Presentation at your State’s conference
d. Webinar
e. Some other training format

QTRNTYPESP

11sp. [Ask if QTRNTYPEE = 3|4] Please describe the other training format(s) that would be valuable to your office. Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

IMPROVEMENT OF SERVICES

The following questions ask about how FVAP can improve communication with your office and improve FVAP products and services.

QHELPSA QHELPSB QHELPSC

12. Across all of FVAP’s products and services, how much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about the information provided by FVAP? Mark one answer for each statement.

5 Strongly agree
4 Agree
3 Neither agree nor disagree
2 Disagree
1 Strongly disagree
a. It helps my office increase our understanding of UOCAVA laws..
b. It helps resolve questions my office receives from LEO’s.
c. It helps my State’s LEOs be more effective at their jobs.

QIMPRVCOMM

Q

13. How can FVAP help improve communication between SEOs and LEOs? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

REGISTRATION AND BALLOT REQUESTS

The following questions will help us better understand your State’s standard procedures for processing registration and ballot requests during the 2020 General Election. Most of these questions ask about UOCAVA citizens and the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), described below:

UOCAVA Citizens: U.S. citizens who are active members of the Uniformed Services, their eligible family members or U.S. citizens residing outside of the United States.

FPCA: The FPCA is a single form that can be used to register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot for federal elections.

Each State has unique policies, so you might not see an answer that exactly represents your State’s procedures. Please select the answer to each question that best represents your State’s procedures. If you would like to add any additional comments about your State’s procedures, please do so in your answer to Question 35 at the end of the survey.

QFPCADATE

14. States have varying dates for when they begin accepting FPCAs before the current federal election year. Did your State accept FPCAs for the 2020 General Election before January 1, 2020?

2		Yes, my State began accepting FPCAs before January 1, 2020.
1		No, my State only accepted FPCAs received after January 1, 2020.

QONREG

15. In 2020, did your State allow UOCAVA voters to register online?

2		Yes
1		No
3		It varies by jurisdiction within my State If you would like to provide additional information, please do so below: Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QFPCATIME

16. In 2020, did your State have a statutory requirement for processing FPCAs in a timely manner (e.g., FPCAs must be processed within 1 business day)?

2		Yes
1		No

QFPCATIMESP

16sp. In 2020, what was the statutory time limit for processing FPCAs?

QFPCAPERM

17. In some States, if a voter registers using the FPCA, they are considered permanently registered under the National Voter Registration Act (i.e., the voter will be placed on your State’s voter registration roll). In other States, voters must submit a separate registration form to be permanently registered.

In 2020, did your State consider a voter to be permanently registered if they registered using an FPCA?

2		Yes
1		No

QFPCAPROC

18. In 2020, did your State policy require that either state election officials (SEO) or LEOs provide proactive confirmation of receipt for an FPCA or other UOCAVA registration request to UOCAVA voters (i.e., a confirmation was sent automatically without a voter inquiring about the registration or ballot request status)?

2		Yes
1		No

QFPCAPROC

19. In 2020, if an FPCA from an unregistered voter was received after the voter registration deadline but before the absentee ballot request deadline, how was the FPCA processed in your State?

1		The applicant was not registered to vote and was not sent an absentee ballot for the 2020 election.
2		The applicant was not registered to vote for future elections but was sent an absentee ballot for the 2020 election.
3		The applicant was registered to vote for future elections but was not sent an absentee ballot for the 2020 election.
4		The applicant was registered to vote for future elections and was sent an absentee ballot for the 2020 election.
5		Not applicable; the voter registration deadline is not earlier than the absentee ballot request deadline in my State.
6		Other

If you would like to provide additional information, please do so below. Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QPROTECT

20. Military members and U.S. citizens residing overseas may request absentee ballots using different forms, including FPCAs and State forms. We are interested in whether these types of voters receive the same UOCAVA protections if they use non-FPCA forms.

From the list below, mark all types of absentee ballot request forms that would allow a military member, eligible family member, or U.S. citizen residing overseas to receive UOCAVA protections in your State.

1		FPCA
2		State form with a UOCAVA classification selected
3		State form without a UOCAVA classification selected, but otherwise indicates the voter is covered under UOCAVA (e.g., voter has an overseas mailing address)
4		Any other form that indicates the voter is covered under UOCAVA

ballot processing

The following questions will help us better understand your State’s standard procedures for processing backup ballots during the 2020 General Election. Most of these questions ask about UOCAVA citizens and the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB), described below:

UOCAVA Citizens: U.S. citizens who are active members of the Uniformed Services, their eligible family members or U.S. citizens residing outside of the United States.

FWAB: The FWAB is a single form that can be used as a back-up absentee ballot for UOCAVA voters who have not yet received their ballot. Many States have expanded use of the FWAB for other purposes, such as voter registration.

Each State has unique policies, so you might not see an answer that exactly represents your State’s procedures. Please select the answer to each question that best represents your State’s procedures. If you would like to add any additional comments about your State’s procedures, please do so in your answer to Question 35 at the end of the survey.

QFWABPROC

21. In 2020, if a FWAB was received from a voter who did NOT indicate a preference for registering and requesting a ballot for future elections in Section 5 (shown above), how was the FWAB processed in your State? Mark all that apply.

1		The FWAB was counted as a backup ballot.
2		The FWAB was processed as a voter registration application.
3		The FWAB was processed as an absentee ballot application.
4		The FWAB was used to update the voter’s registration record if the voter was already registered.
5		The FWAB was used to update the voter’s absentee ballot application record if the voter had previously submitted an application.

QCONFLVL

22. In your State in 2020, confirmation of receipt for a completed ballot was provided to UOCAVA voters at the:

Mark all that apply.

1		State level
2		Local level

QBALCONFA QBALCONFB QBALCONFC QBALCONFD QBALCONFE QBALCONFF

23. In your State in 2020, which methods did SEOs or LEOs use to provide confirmation of receipt for a completed ballot to UOCAVA voters? Mark all that apply.

1		Email
2		Mail
3		Website or online system
4		Phone
5		Other
6		None; no ballot confirmation is provided

QPROCONF

24 In 2020, did your State policy require that either SEOs or LEOs provide proactive confirmation of receipt for a completed ballot to UOCAVA voters (i.e., a ballot confirmation was sent automatically without a voter inquiring about the ballot status)?

2		Yes
1		No

QBALSEC

25. In 2020, if a voter returned a voted ballot without enclosing it in a ballot secrecy envelope, how did your State process the ballot?

1		The ballot was accepted
2		The ballot was rejected
3		The ballot was rejected, unless it was a FWAB

CSG OVERSEAS VOTING INITIATIVE

This section of this survey will ask about your State’s awareness and implementation in 2020 of several key recommendations from The Council of State Governments (CSG).

On the next page, please read the following descriptions of these recommendations.

In December 2016, the CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group released recommendations for improvements to State policies regarding the UOCAVA voting process, beyond UOCAVA and Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act requirements, in three key areas:

1. Unreadable/Damaged Ballot Duplication—Recommend States use a ballot duplication process for unreadable and damaged ballots that is appropriate for the number of paper ballots they process and establish clear audit procedures.

2. Common Access Card (CAC)/Digital Signature Verification—Recommend States allow the use of CAC digital signatures in the election process for UOCAVA voters and develop materials to facilitate their acceptance and use.

3. Data Standardization/Performance Metrics—Recommend that States adopt the EAVS Section B Data Standard, identify methods/partners to support automated data collection and validation, and establish data repositories.

FPCA: The FPCA is a single form that can be used to register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot for federal electionsQCSGAW

26. Was your office aware of the CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group recommendations? Mark “Yes” or “No” for each item.

2		Yes
1		No

QCSGDUPLA QCSGDUPLB QCSGDUPLC QCSGDUPLD

27. The CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group made several recommendations regarding unreadable/damaged ballot duplication. Does your State plan to implement any of the following prior to the November 2022 election? Mark one answer for each statement.

2 Yes
1 No
3 Already implemented
a. Select a ballot duplication process that is appropriate for the number of paper ballots your State processes…
b. Establish clear procedures to ensure auditability..
c. Make technologies for ballot duplication easy to use for State and local jurisdictions.
d. Ensure that technologies for ballot duplication promote transparency for SEOs, LEOs and external observers..

QCSGNOT

28. What are the main reasons your State may not implement the CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group recommendations regarding unreadable/damaged ballot duplication by the November 2022 election? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QCSGSIGA QCSGSIGB QCSGSIGC QCSGSIGD QCSGSIGE QCSGSIGF

29. The CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group made several recommendations regarding common access card/digital signature verification. Does your State plan to implement any of the following prior to the November 2022 election? Mark one answer for each statement.

2 Yes
1 No
3 Already implemented
a. Allow the use of a digital signature to complete election-related activities (e.g., register to vote, request an absentee ballot)..
b. Provide an option for military personnel to designate their UOCAVA voting status using your State’s online election portal..
c. Allow the use of digital signatures in the election process for UOCAVA voters (e.g., treat digital signatures equally to handwritten ones).
d. Develop procedures and training materials regarding acceptance and use of digital signatures..
e. Develop educational resources for UOCAVA voters about using digital signatures.
f. Coordinate educational efforts with local military installations..

QCSGNOT

30. What are the main reasons your State may not implement the CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group recommendations regarding common access card / digital signature verification by the November 2022 election? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QCSGSTDA QCSGSTDB QCSGSTDC QCSGSTDD

31. The CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group made several recommendations regarding data standardization/performance metrics. Does your State plan to implement any of the following prior to the November 2022 election? Mark one answer for each statement.

2 Yes
1 No
3 Already implemented
a. Identify a method or partner agency that can support automated data collection and validation to ensure continued use of the EAVS Section B Data Standard..
b. Establish standards to support the long-term sustainability of the EAVS Section B Data Standard..
c. Assist EAC efforts to facilitate post-election reporting requirements.
d. Ensure that the EAVS Section B Data Standard is incorporated into appropriate election technology provider contracts so that data can be exported using it..

QCSGNOT

32. What are the main reasons your State may not implement one or more of the CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group recommendations regarding data standardization/performance metrics by the November 2022 election? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QCSGSIGNES

33. [Ask if QCSGSIGA=1] To the best of your knowledge, does your state allow the use of a digital signature for any non-election related State activities (e.g., tax forms, real estate transactions)?

2		Yes
1		No

FEDERAL POST CARD APPLICATION (FPCA) VERSUS sTATE FORMS

QFPCAINFO

34. What additional information, if any, does your State require voters to provide in order to register to vote and request an absentee ballot using Section 6 of the FPCA (pictured above)? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

QFPCAREG

35. Does your state require the following information captured in Section 1 of the FPCA (pictured above) to process voter registration?

2 Yes
1 No
a. Asking voters to specify the reason for their UOCAVA status (e.g., military member, overseas citizen)..
b. Asking voters to identify their sex…

QFPCALEOA QFPCALEOB QFPCALEOC

36. In 2020, did your office assist LEOs with any of the following tasks? Mark “Yes” or “No” for each item.

2 Yes
1 No
a. Sharing and/or referring FVAP resources
b. Registration and ballot request issues for UOCAVA voters
c. Implementing CSG Overseas Voting Initiative Technology Working Group recommendations

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

QCHANGE

37. FVAP strives to provide excellent products and services to SEOs. What changes could FVAP make to improve our products and services to better assist your office and the LEOs you serve? Do not provide any Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

OMB Control 0704-0553, expiration date 04/30/2019 7