The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires states to designate state government agencies and offices that provide public assistance or services to people with disabilities as voter registration agencies, as well as other offices each state deemed appropriate. These could include schools, city and county clerk's offices, fishing and hunting license bureaus, government revenue offices, and unemployment compensation offices. States can also designate federal offices as voter registration agencies, but only with the agreement of those agencies. Finally, each state must work with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop and implement procedures for voter registration at Armed Forces recruitment offices.
When an agency is designated as a voter registration agency, it must offer each person who comes into contact with the agency the opportunity to register to vote. If a person declines to register, the agency must ask the person to fill out a declination form, which is kept on file at the agency office.
Former Governor Pete Wilson issued Executive Order W-98-94 in 1994 establishing the official list of NVRA Voter Registration Agencies for California. Our NVRA Voter Registration Agency Contact Roster includes website links for each NVRA Voter Registration Agency.
