The current voter registration form requires an applicant to affirmatively indicate by checking boxes on the form that they are U.S. citizens, that they have not been adjudicated to be mentally incapacitated, and are not convicted felons whose voting rights have not been restored.  Under current regulation, failing to check these boxes would cause the application to be rejected. When an application is received in which the boxes are not checked, a letter is routinely sent to the person attempting to register asking them to refile the application making sure that they check the boxes.

In regard to the new form design, I believe the replacement of these check boxes with an affirmation statement above the signature line at the bottom of the page is insufficient to protect the integrity of the ballot box. Checking the appropriate boxes requires a purposeful effort, and the alternative affirmation statement can be too easily overlooked. The intent of the regulation is best fulfilled by retaining the check boxes.