1. Background.
In 2021 the WEC began a quarterly Movers review and mailing process in which postcards are mailed to Wisconsin residents who were identified as potentially moving. As part of Wisconsin’s membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), the WEC is required to contact these voters. ERIC obtains data from a variety of sources, such as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), other member states’ data, and the National Change of Address (NCOA) database from the United States Postal Service. Quarter 3 postcards will be mailed on September 30, 2022.
The postcard notifies voters that a transaction with the WisDOT Division of Motor Vehicles or an NCOA update indicates their address may be different than their voter registration address. Voters who receive the postcard and have moved within the State of Wisconsin may choose to reregister online, by mail, at their clerk’s office, or at their polling place on the next Election Day. The postcard also provides affirmation options for the voter if they have not moved.
2. Voter Options.
Voters who have not moved may use one of the following options to affirm the address on their record: (1) return their signed postcard to their municipal clerk; (2) visit the MyVote Wisconsin website and click the “Confirm Your Address” button; or (3) vote in the next election where they can affirm with poll workers that they have not had a change of address.
Voters may contact their local clerk with questions or call the toll-free number on the postcard which routes them to the WEC HelpDesk. A sample of the postcard is attached.
3. Clerk Responsibilities.
Decisions to modify voter records are to be made by clerks at the municipal level. The voter records identified for this mailing will remain in an “Active” status in WisVote and will have an updated status reason of “Movers.” A “Have you Moved?” watermark will also appear by these names in the poll book. Clerks have discretion to assess each case individually and may elect to deactivate records or restore records to “Active/ Registered” status. Clerks may want to contact their municipal counsel for assistance in interpreting applicable statutes such as Wis. Stat. § 6.50(3).
If a Movers postcard comes back to the clerk’s office as undeliverable, and the clerk would like to deactivate the record, they are required to send the voter the Undeliverable 30-Day Notice letter to the address the voter is registered to in WisVote. The letter template is available in the voter record.
Should the Undeliverable 30-Day Notice letter come back as undeliverable, the clerk can inactivate the voter record. The deactivation status reason will be Undeliverable if the letter comes back without a forwarding or new address and Moved if it has a forwarding or new address. If the clerk does not receive a response to the letter, they can inactivate the voter record with a voter status reason of Moved.
Should a voter receive the Undeliverable 30-Day Notice and respond that they still reside at that address, the clerk may return the voter record to “Active/Registered” status. If a voter changes their residence within the municipality, the clerk must change the registration and mail the voter a notice of the change.
Additional instructions regarding the specific steps to take for processing these records in WisVote can be found in the WisVote News tile. Please visit the WisVote News tile to review the instructions for your reference.
4. Questions.
If you have any questions regarding the Movers mailings, please contact the Elections HelpDesk at @email or 608-261-2028.
5. Additional Information.
Prior Related Communications
• Postcards Webinar – A review of all various postcards mailed by WEC.
• 2022 Q2 Movers
Attachments
• 2022 Movers Postcard Q3