List maintenance activities are conducted in accordance with state and federal laws to identify changes in either the voter's eligibility or residence to keep voter records current and accurate.
List maintenance procedures are outlined in Florida Statutes 98.065 and 98.075.
List Maintenance Definitions
- Active voter – A registered voter who has either voted, updated his/her voter record, or requested a mail ballot within the last two federal general elections.
- Inactive voter – A voter who was sent an address confirmation final notice and did not return the postage prepaid confirmation form within 30 days or for whom the final notice was returned as undeliverable. Inactive voters remain in the voter file for two general elections and are still eligible to vote.
- Changing from Inactive Status to Active Status – A voter on the inactive list may be restored to the active list of voters upon the voter updating his or her registration and confirming his or her current address of legal residence, requesting a vote-by-mail ballot and confirming his or her current address of legal residence, or appearing to vote and confirming his or her current address of legal residence.
- Changing from Inactive Status to Ineligible Status – If a voter does not update his/her voter registration record, request a mail ballot, or vote by the second federal general election after being placed on the inactive list, the voter’s name shall be removed from the statewide voter registration file, and the voter shall be required to reregister to have his/her name restored to the statewide voter registration file.
List Maintenance Frequency
Florida Statutes require supervisors of elections to conduct comprehensive annual list maintenance at least once each year beginning no later than April 1. It must be completed 90 days before the date of any federal election.
Pinellas County uses one of the following options to meet this annual list maintenance requirement:
- Identifying registered voters whose addresses may have changed through change-of-address information provided by the United States Postal Service;
- Additionally, in odd-numbered years, mailing notices to all registered voters who have not voted or updated their registration records in the past two general elections; or
- Mailing address confirmation requests to all registered voters in the county.
However, address list maintenance continues year-round as the Supervisor of Elections receives mail returned undeliverable from the Post Office or receives address updates from third-party sources such as the U.S. Postal Service, Jury Notice lists from the Clerk of Court, and Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles driver license lists.
In addition, ongoing list maintenance is conducted for the following reasons:
- A voter is deceased
- A voter has moved out of state
- A voter was convicted of a felony
- A voter was adjudicated mentally incapacitated
- A voter is not a U.S. citizen
- A voter is not at least 18 years of age
- A voter registered at an address that is not their legal residence address
- A voter requests to be removed from the voter file
List Maintenance Details
Three types of forms are mailed for address list maintenance:
- Address Confirmation Request (ACR) – non-forwardable form; U.S. Postal Service will return with forwarding information if undeliverable; used to verify names and addresses of voters; also used to verify addresses when a mailing address is provided by a third-party source.
- Address Change Notice (ACN) – forwardable form sent to new address with preaddressed postage-paid return form; sent to voter when Supervisor of Elections receives updates from a third-party source that the voter may have moved within the state.
- Address Confirmation Final Notice (ACFN) – forwardable form sent to newly recorded address with pre-addressed postage-paid return form; sent to voter when Supervisor of Elections receives notice from third-party source that voter may have moved out of state; when Supervisor receives undeliverable mail from a voter’s legal residence; voter has 30 days to respond to remain in active status; also sent to all registered voters who have not voted or updated their registration records in the past two general elections.
Voter is notified of any ineligibility issue by certified letter, return receipt requested to their legal residence address, and by first-class mail to their mailing and/or alternate address.
- If certified letter is returned undeliverable, within 14 days the Supervisor of Elections publishes a legal notice listing names and addresses of voters who may be ineligible to vote, providing instructions and a deadline of 30 days to respond to the notice to avoid removal from voter registration file.
- If voter responds to certified letter or legal notice and concurs with information provided, voter is removed from voter file and sent a notice of removal by certified letter, return receipt requested.
- If voter fails to respond to certified letter or legal notice, voter is removed from voter file and sent a notice of removal by certified letter, return receipt requested.
- If voter disagrees with the information provided regarding ineligibility:
- If voter does not request a hearing, voter is removed from voter file and sent a notice of removal by certified letter, return receipt requested
- If voter requests a hearing, hearing is conducted, and Supervisor determines voter’s eligibility based on evidence
- If evidence proves eligibility, voter remains active
- If evidence proves ineligibility, voter is removed from voter file
- Voter is sent a notice of the Supervisor decision by certified letter, return receipt requested
Once a voter is designated ineligible or removed from the voter file, the voter must re-register in order to become eligible to vote. The voter has the right to appeal a determination of ineligibility pursuant to F.S. 98.0755.
Voter registration statistics are updated nightly and posted across the top of the Supervisor of Elections homepage. These statistics reflect only active registered voters.
List Maintenance Activity Reports
No later than January 31 and July 31 of each year, the Supervisor of Elections is required to certify to the Division of Elections the list maintenance activities conducted during the six months prior. Certification forms must include the number of Address Confirmation Requests sent, the number of voters designated inactive, and the number of voters removed from the statewide voter registration file.