Justice Department Reaches Agreement With Arizona on Voter Registration At Public Assistance Agencies

WASHINGTON, May. 15 /PRNewswire/ --

WASHINGTON, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today announced an agreement to bring the state of Arizona into compliance with federal voting laws that require public assistance agencies to offer their clients the opportunity to register to vote. The agreement provides that Arizona's Department of Economic Security (DES), the primary state agency in charge of disbursing public assistance, must ensure compliance with federal law within the next 60 days.

Section 7 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) requires employees of public assistance agencies like DES to offer voter registration applications to clients, to help them fill out the relevant forms, and to transmit any completed applications to appropriate election officials. A Justice Department investigation concluded that many DES employees were not aware of or complying with these provisions.

Under the agreement worked out with the Justice Department, DES has committed to undertake a variety of measures, including annual employee training and regular internal audits and reporting of voter registrations processed by subagencies such as the Family Assistance Administration, the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, and the Division of Developmental Disabilities, to guarantee that they offer clients the opportunity to register to vote. The agreement also authorizes the Justice Department to conduct regular, unannounced investigations of local DES offices. In the event compliance is not achieved within strict deadlines, the Justice Department is authorized to seek enforcement of the agreement in federal court.

"The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing federal laws that facilitate the ability of Americans to register to vote at public assistance agencies," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "We commend the willingness of Arizona officials to work cooperatively with us to reach this positive and timely result."

The Justice Department in the past has commenced lawsuits to enforce the various provisions of the NVRA, including Section 7. More information about the NVRA and other federal voting laws is available on the Justice Department Web site at >. Complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be called in to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800- 253-3931.