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What is HAVA?
What changes does HAVA require?
What is Arkansas doing to
make the changes HAVA requires?
Didn’t Arkansas already
have a central voter registration system?
What voting systems have been
selected for use in the State of Arkansas?
What voting system will be
in use in my county?
Who is paying for all this
new equipment and outreach?
Why is the State of Arkansas
conducting a voter education program?
What does the voter education
program include?
How are the needs of the
disabled being provided for?
Is there a way for voters
to learn how to use the new machine before
Election Day?
In 2002, the federal Help America Vote Act
(HAVA) was signed by Congress and passed by
President George W. Bush. This legislation
requires all 50 states to upgrade election
systems nationwide, protect the integrity of
elections, and promote public awareness and
participation in the electoral process.
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HAVA was passed in an effort to improve voting
standards across the country and ensure that
each polling place in America has accessible
voting systems in place. It is the most sweeping
voting initiative the country has seen in four
decades. Among the central requirements that
states must implement by 2006 are:
- A centralized statewide voter registration
list
- Improved voting systems and technology
for casting and counting votes, especially
to replace punch card, lever and hand-counted
ballots.
- Improved accessibility for disabled voters
and assistance to English as second-language
dominant voters
- Education program to inform voters about
voting procedures, voting rights and voting
technology
- Training for election officials, poll workers
and election volunteers
- Provisional voting, which helps voters
be sure their valid ballots are counted.
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Secretary of State Charlie Daniels is the
chief election officer of the state and is
responsible for managing a HAVA-compliant “State
Plan” that ensures the state and its
counties will meet the new requirements. The
Arkansas State Plan’s priorities are
to:
- Upgrade existing voting systems or purchase
new systems to include at least one electronic
voting machine at each polling place
- Develop a centralized, statewide voter
registration list that can verify voters’ identification
and be accurately updated
- Implement a voter education program to
educate citizens on voting systems and the
proper use of those voting systems
Arkansas first instituted a statewide voter
registration system in 1996. Although it standardized
the process for recording voter data, the mechanism
essentially performed as 75 separate systems
using the same software. County clerks maintained
their own information and could not share data
across county lines, making it more difficult
to track voters who moved within the state.
New HAVA regulations required Arkansas to upgrade
its voter system to become a secure, uniform,
centralized database of registered voters that
is defined, maintained and administered by
the state.
The new Web-based voter registration software
streamlines data management by creating a centralized
system. Known as the Network of Voters in Arkansas
(NOVA), it allows county clerks to update voter
rolls throughout Arkansas, instantly transfer
voters from county to county and eliminate
duplicate registrations. That helps improve
the security and accuracy of the state’s
voter rolls.
Election Systems and Software was chosen as
the vendor for new equipment across Arkansas.
Each county chose the type of system that would
work best for their voters. Depending on your
county’s choice, when you go to the polls
you will vote on a touch screen, on a paper
ballot or have the option to vote by either
method.
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Click here to
find a map of the State of Arkansas, then
click on your county to find out about
the equipment you’ll be using at
your polling site.
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Federal funding, through the HAVA, is paying
for 95 percent of the initial costs of Arkansas’s
new machines and related education and training
programs. State and county funds will make
up the remaining five percent
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Nearly every Arkansas voter already possesses
the knowledge, experience and ability needed
to cast a valid ballot. There are a small number
of voters, however, who may experience difficulty
in casting a valid ballot in the primary and
general election because of lack of experience
or information. The goal of the Vote Naturally
program is to reduce the potential for difficulties
on Election Day by giving all Arkansas voters
the information they need to get them ready
to vote. The program will encourage voters
to find out when they will vote, where they
will vote, and how to use the voting equipment
in their precincts.
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The Arkansas Secretary of State’s education
initiative plans to make voter information
readily available to all Arkansans, create
high-impact educational materials and advertisements,
and most importantly, instill confidence in
voting. Vote Naturally, Arkansas’s voter
education program, will continuously run throughout
2006, concluding after the November General
Election.
The goals of Vote Naturally are to:
- Educate voters on how to use voting systems,
when elections are held and where to vote
- Inform Arkansans on the legalities, responsibilities
and rights of voting
- Increase confidence in voting through a
safe and more secure voting system
The public education program informs voters
of their rights and responsibilities, educates
them on how to use voting machines and increases
confidence in our state’s electoral
process. The plan includes advertising, presentations
to community groups, a Web site and a mobile
exhibit. The mobile exhibit will cover much
of the state stopping at festivals, special
events, schools and other public venues.
Inside the exhibit there are examples of
electronic voting machines used in Arkansas.
Voters will have the opportunity to see,
touch and become comfortable with using the
machines before Election Day.
For a schedule of Vote Naturally programs, click
here.
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It is critically important that all Arkansas
voters have equal opportunity on Election Day.
The Office of the Secretary of State has addressed
the needs of physically challenged voters to
ensure that they can fully participate in the
process by installing accessible voting machines
and providing grants to counties to make polls
accessible.
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Yes. A comprehensive voter education program
is underway across Arkansas. Written step-by-step
instructions will be distributed to voters
and voters will be able to practice with sample
machines at various locations across Arkansas
prior to Election Day.
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