VR Application form instructions recommendatons, part 2:

General: Simplify and humize! And be clear and accurate. I read this week that 50% of adults in the cannot read above an 8th grade level.

1. Protected Voter Requirements

Currently:

To legally qualify to non-publish your residence address on voter lists, you must meet certain statutory requirements. Your application must claim one of four reason codes, applicable to you or a member of your household: ·

• LEO: active or retired law enforcement officer, judge, U.S. or Virginia Attorney General attorney;
• CPO: have a court issued protective order for your benefit;
• TSC: have evidence of filing a complaint with law enforcement that he/she is in fear for his personal safety from another person who has threatened or stalked him/her;
•  ACP: registered with the Virginia Attorney General’s Address Confidentiality Program.

Suggested:

 Protected Voter Code

Your residence address will be published on authorized voter lists unless you are legally able to claim one of these four reason codes:

• LEO: retired law enforcement officer, judge, U.S. or Virginia attorney general attorney;
• CPO: have received a court-issued protective order for your benefit;
• TSC: have evidence of filing a complaint with law enforcement that you are in fearyou’re your personal safety from another person who has threatened or stalked you;
• ACP: registered with the Virginia Address Confidentiality Program.

If so, enter the appropriate three-letter code in the boxes provided.

Comments:

It is important always to use the same words and phrases in instructions as are used on the form. Hence “voter code” in the section title rather than “voter requirements.” Again, titles are not capitalized unless used immediately before the titleholder’s name.  (Note “court-issued” is hyphenated.)

2. Mailing Instructions

Currently:

• Mail your completed application to the voter registrar for the county or city where you live.
• Must be postmarked at least twenty-two (22) days before the next Primary or General Election in which you plan to vote.

Suggested:

• Mail your completed application to the general registrar for the county or city where you live.
• The envelope must be postmarked at least 22 days before the election in which you plan to vote. Visit www.elections.virginia.gov [underline URLs for clarity] for deadlines, addresses, and information.

 Comments:

Thereis no need to use both figures and text to effectively communicate a number! Numbers 10 and above are expressed in numerals

 3. Signature

Currently:

A signature is required from each applicant for voter registration unless the applicant is an individual with physical disabilities. An applicant with physical disabilities must indicate her status in Box 7 if the application is not signed. Currently registered Virginia voters with physical disabilities must sign the form or, at minimum, include a mark and indicate physical disability status on the application. If a registered voter with physical disabilities provides a mark in lieu of a signature, then a witness must sign the application.

Suggested:

You must sign or mark this form, or it will not be accepted. If you have a physical disability that prevents you from writing your signature, the box in section 7, below the signature line, must be checked. If you make a mark instead of a signature because of your disability, a witness must sign on the second line.

Comments:

If a person without a physical disability makes a mark (perhaps because he is illiterate or has a mental disability), is a witness also required? When does a mark become a signature? How do voter registration staff differentiate between a mark and a signature?

Why would only “currently registered voters” (who are completing the form generally to change a name or address) have to follow the two last lines of the original instructions, and not citizens registering for the first time? The Va. Constitution makes no such distinction. (Boy, what a confusing set of instructions.)

It is important to be consistent with terms. Don’t refer to a section on the application as a “box” when those “boxes” contain actual boxes for applicants to check. "Secton" is a better term.

Again,speak to the applicant, thus using “you” in instructions.

4. Privacy Act Notice:

Currently:

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution of Virginia (1971) requires that a person registering to vote provide his or her social security number, if any. Therefore, if you do not provide your social security number, your application for voter registration will be denied. Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act (Public Law Number 93-579) allows the Commonwealth to enforce this requirement, but also requires that you be advised that state and local voting officials will use the social security number as a unique identifier to ensure that no person is registered in more than one place. This registration card will only be open to inspection by the public if the social security number is removed. Your social security number will appear on reports produced only for official use by voter registration and election o­fficials, for jury selection purposes by courts, and all lawful governmental purposes. Whether you register to vote and the office where you submit an application are confidential and will be used only for voter registration purposes.

Suggested:

Privacy Notice

Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution of Virginia (1971) requires you to provide your Social Security number (SSN), if any, when you register to vote. If you do not, your voter registration application will be denied. Section 7 of the Federal Privacy Act (public law lumber 93-579) allows the Commonwealth to enforce this requirement. State and local voting officials will use your SSN only as a unique identifier to ensure that voters only are registered once. Your registration card only will be available to inspection by the public if the SSN is removed. Your SSN will appear only on reports produced for official use by voter registration and election officials, jury selection by courts, and other lawful governmental purposes. If you decline to register, if your registration application is denied, and where your application was submitted are confidential.

 Comments:

Simplify!  And be clear and accurate.

The notice is about privacy policies, not the federal privacy act. Hence the title change.

The last line in the original statement: “Whether you register to vote and the once where you submit an application are confidential and will be used only for voter registration purposes.” That you registered is public information, that you were denied or that you declined is confidential.

 5. Identification Requirement

Currently:

Identification Requirement

All voters are required to present one (1) acceptable valid photo ID when voting in-person. Acceptable forms of photo identification include Virginia DMV-issued photo IDs and driver’s licenses; U.S. Passports; employer-issued photo IDs; student photo IDs from a college or university located in Virginia; photo ID cards issued by the United States, the Commonwealth of Virginia, or a local Virginia government; and Virginia Voter Photo ID Cards. All of the acceptable forms of photo ID can be used up to a year after the ID has expired. If you do not have an acceptable forms of photo ID, you can also apply for a free Virginia Voter Photo ID Card at any local Virginia voter registration once throughout the year, even on Election Day. Once you complete and sign the Virginia Voter Photo ID Application, your Virginia Voter Photo ID Card will be mailed to your address on file in the Virginia Voter Registration System, which takes approximately two to four weeks. You may also be eligible to  receive a Temporary Identification Document to use in the election while your permanent ID card is processed through the mail. For more information on voter photo IDs, visit: elections.virginia.gov/voterID or call toll free at: (800) 552-9745.

Suggested:

Photo ID Required to Vote

You are required to present a photo ID when voting in person. Acceptable forms of voter ID include: a Virginia DMV-issued photo ID or driver’s license; a U.S. passport; an employer-issued photo ID; a student photo ID from a college or university in Virginia; a photo ID issued by the U.S., Virginia state or local government; and a Virginia voter photo ID card. All may be used for voting for one year after the date they expire. If you do not have an acceptable form of photo ID, you may apply for a free Virginia voter photo ID card at any voter registration office in the state during business hours, even on Election Day. It will be mailed within a month to your voter registration address on file. Additionally, you may be issued a temporary identification document to use in an immediate election while your permanent ID card is being processed. For more information on voter photo IDs, visit www.elections.virginia.gov/voterID or call toll free, (800) 552-9745.

Comments:

The title should more clearly tell the reader what the text below it will cover and why it is important to him/her.

Again, anyone reading the text to this point will understand the word "one" and not require a numerical confirmation.

“In-person” is only hyphenated when used as an adjective.