Frequently Asked Questions About the National Mail Voter Registration Form

What is the National Form?
The National Mail Voter Registration Form consists of four parts:

• The Application itself
• The General Applications
• The Application Instructions
• The State Instructions

Can I register to vote in any State or the District of Columbia using the National Form?
Yes, with the following exceptions: North Dakota does not have voter registration; Wyoming, by State law, cannot accept the National Form; and New Hampshire town and city clerks will accept the National Form only as a request for their own mail-in absentee voter registration form.

Can the Form be photocopied?
Yes. States that accept the national form will accept copies of the application printed from the computer image on regular paper stock, signed by the applicant, and mailed in a envelope with first class postage.

Can my organization supply just the applications and simply provide the instructions separately as hand-outs or on posters?
Yes. As a money saving alternative to printing the entire National Mail Voter Registration Form, you may want to furnish a supply of only the voter registration applications either, printed on card stock according to the FEC specifications, or produced on 8.5' x 11’ regular weight paper. Be sure to include envelopes with the regular weight applications. The General and State Instructions could then either be photocopied and handed out with each application, or enlarged and posted at the registration site.

I want to do a massive voter registration drive. How many of the National Forms can I get at one time?
The number of Voter Registration Forms distributed to a single organization is generally at the discretion of the chief State election official. Many States base the number of Forms distributed on the size of the target population of the proposed registration drive, method of distribution, number of individuals registered by the organization in any previous voter registration drive and a number of other variables. Organizations interested in conducting voter registration activities should remember that the voter registration forms are paid for from tax dollars and should plan to request a realistic number of forms to minimize wastage.

Can my organization mail the completed Forms we receive in our registration drive, or do the individuals need to mail them personally?
If we can mail them, do they have to be individually stamped or can they be bundled? An organization may mail completed Voter Registration Applications to the appropriate election office(s) individually or in a bundle. The Department of Justice interprets the cost of first class postage to fall into the realm of "facilitating" voter registration, and not as an attempt to induce an individual to register to vote by giving something of value, which would be prohibited by the "vote buying" provisions of the Voting Rights Act.