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 Vote-by-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 on the voter roll and are still eligible to vote.

• Changing from Inactive Status to Active Status – An inactive voter may be restored to active status by updating his/her voter record, requesting a Vote-by-Mail ballot or voting.

• Changing from Inactive Status to Ineligible Status – If a voter does not update his/her voter registration record, request a Vote-by-Mail ballot, or vote by the second federal general election after being designated inactive, the voter’s name shall be removed from the statewide voter registration roll, and the voter shall be required to reregister to have his/her name reestablished to the statewide voter registration roll. 

 

LIST MAINTENANCE FREQUENCY

A registration list maintenance program must be conducted by each supervisor, at a minimum, once each year and must be completed not later than 90 days before the date of any federal election. All list maintenance actions associated with each voter must be entered, tracked, and maintained in the statewide voter registration system.

The three options to meet this list maintenance requirement are as follows:

• Mailing notices to all registered voters who have not voted, requested a ballot, or updated their registration records in the past two years

• Identifying registered voters whose addresses may have changed through change-of-address information provided by the United States Postal Service

• Mailing Voter Information Cards to all registered voters in the county

In 2023, the Collier County Supervisor of Elections will conduct two of the above three options: (1) Mailing notices to all registered voters who have not voted, requested a ballot or updated their registration records in the past two years and (2) Identifying registered voters whose addresses may have changed through change-of-address information provided by the United States Postal Service, National Change of Address (NCOA) or the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

Also, 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 Collier County Clerk of Courts, and Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles driver license lists.

In addition, ongoing eligibility 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 lives at a false 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 preaddressed 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; also used when Supervisor receives undeliverable mail from a voter’s legal residence; voter has 30 days to respond to remain in active status

Eligibility Maintenance Details 

Voter is notified of any potential ineligibility issue by certified letter, return receipt requested, and by first-class mail:

• If certified letter is returned undeliverable, Supervisor of Elections publishes a legal notice listing names and addresses of voters who may be ineligible to vote, providing instructions and deadline of 30 days to respond in order 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 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 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 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 in voter file

• 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 reregister in order to become eligible to vote.

Voter registration statistics are updated nightly and posted on the Supervisor of Elections home page at www.CollierVotes.gov. These statistics reflect only active registered voters.  

 

UNDELIVERABLE MAIL

Supervisor of Elections office notices are sent by first class mail. An "Address Confirmation Final Notice" is sent by forwardable mail when any Supervisor of Elections office notice, sample ballot, voter information card or first class letter is returned as undeliverable by the Post Office. The voter has 30 days from the notice date to complete the notice, sign it and return it back to our office. Failure to respond may result in a change to a voter's status to inactive. Inactive status cancels all future mailings of election notices, sample ballots, and Vote-by-Mail ballots which were requested previously. Permanent removal occurs when inactive voters do not provide written response to the Supervisor of Elections office notice and do not vote over the next two federal general elections.

 

LIST MAINTENANCE ACTIVITY REPORTS

Twice a year, on January 31 and July 31, 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.