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| Harris County Voter Roll Scrub Purges 147,951 Voters |
| Texas Secretary Of State To Conduct Statewide Records Match Early 2007 |
HOUSTON –
December
13, 2006 – Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Paul Bettencourt today announces the purging of 147,951 voters from the voter registration roll by law resulting in a new total of 1,781,849 registered voters in Harris County by the end of the month.
“Every two years the Tax Office is required by state and federal law to cancel voter registrations that have been on the suspense list for more than two federal elections,” Bettencourt said. “Net new registrations will build the voter roll back to record levels by the 2008 Presidential Election.”
The Texas Secretary of State will follow up each county’s voter purge with additional voter roll checks, which will be a statewide match of all county voter records in January 2007, fulfilling a mandate by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) for a statewide voter roll comparison. The state will compare voter registrations between counties looking for duplicates. Once a duplicate is found, the voter registration record that is preserved will be the record with the most recent effective date.
“The statewide voter roll is the culmination and final step of our county’s diligent work in tracking voters who have moved thus preserving the integrity of our voter roll. I urge all Texas voters to check their voter registration status. Harris County registered voters can easily check their status online on the Tax Office Web site at www.hcvoter.net,” Bettencourt said.
Voters, who believe that their voter status may have been affected, can update their voter registration record by:
- requesting that a voter registration application be mailed to their current name and address by e-mail on the Tax Office Web site at www.hcvoter.net or by calling 713-368-VOTE
(8683), or
- visiting the Tax Office Web site for a link to
file a name or address change online with the Secretary of State, or
- updating their voter registration when obtaining or renewing their driver’s license at the Department of Public Safety.
The National Voter Registration Act stipulates that a voter registration record can be cancelled when the Voter Registration Certificate is returned as undeliverable by the United States Post Office and follow-up confirmation notices are returned to the Tax Office. Unless the voter updates their voter registration record with a new address, their voter registration record is placed on suspense and will be purged from the voter roll after two federal election cycles.
“In Harris County, maintaining the voter roll involves year-round efforts, including confirmation mailings to voters on the move and frequent database matches to the National Change of Address database, Department of Public Safety motor vehicle database, and the Social Security index,” Bettencourt said. “And as I always remind the public, it’s easy for a voter on suspense or even those that have been purged to get back on the voter roll simply by registering to vote at their current address. In fact, we have just sent out 1,800 notices to voters that are still on the roll, but voted in their old precincts in November without updating their new residence address by filling out a statement of residence card at the polls.”
For more information, please contact the Harris County Tax Office Voter Registration Department at 713-368-VOTE (8683) or online at www.hcvoter.net.
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