Voter Registration Records and File Maintenance

Currently in California, each of the state’s 58 counties control and maintain their own local voter registration databases, and the California Secretary of State maintains another voter registration database that consists of all records compiled from each of the counties throughout the state. In San Bernardino County, when a person registers to vote, their voter registration information, which includes their name, residential and mailing address, and political party preference, is manually entered into a local voter registration database.

In all databases, voter registration records are classified into four voter categories:

1. Active Records: This category consists of voter records where the registration information has been verified against the State’s database. Active voter records are included in mailing lists for all election materials for every election in which the voter is eligible to vote, and these records are included in the Roster of Voters that is available at the assigned polling place on Election Day. Election materials may include Voter Information Guides, Official Mail Ballots, and Voter Notification Cards.
2. Inactive Records: This category consists of voter records where the registration information has been previously verified against the State’s database, but new information has been received that has yet to be verified with the voter. Inactive voter records are not included in any mailing lists for election materials; however, the voter is still qualified to vote in eligible elections. Inactive voter records are also included in the Roster of Voters that is available at the assigned polling place on Election Day.
3. Pending Records: This category consists of voter records where the registration information could not be verified against the State’s database. Typically, pending voter records cannot be verified against the State’s database because of missing information, which needs to be provided by the voter. When new information is received from the voter and that information is verified against the State’s database, that voter record will be moved to the active category. Pending voter records are not included in any mailing lists for election materials and are not included in the Roster of Voters.
4. Cancelled Records: This category consists of voter records where the registration information is no longer valid. Generally, voter records are cancelled because reliable information has been received which confirms that the voter is no longer eligible to vote in the County. Cancelled voter records are not included in any mailing lists for election materials and are not included in the Roster of Voters.

The Registrar of Voters accepts completed Voter Registration Cards from individual citizens and from various public organizations including the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), public assistance agencies, and other state-funded agencies.  In addition to accepting completed Voter Registration Cards, the Registrar of Voters engages in voter registration outreach by encouraging eligible citizens to register to vote in San Bernardino County. Voter registration outreach activities include:

• Promoting the California Online Voter Registration option and providing a link on the Registrar of Voters website.
• Distributing Voter Information Displays, which include Voter Registration Forms along with other voter information, to many locations throughout the county.
• Promoting High School Voter Education Weeks.
• Promoting National Voter Registration Day.
• Promoting National Voter Education Week.
• Providing materials for voter registration outreach at local events.
• Providing training to the public for organizations interested in conducting voter registration drives.
• Providing training to public assistance agencies regarding their compliance responsibilities with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) in conjunction with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Voter file maintenance is the process county elections officials use to ensure their voter registration lists are accurate.  The California Elections Code mandates specific file maintenance procedures for keeping voter records up-to-date.  Not only does the Registrar of Voters perform the state-mandated procedures, but the Registrar of Voters also performs a number of optional daily, weekly, and monthly internal audits to identify potential duplicate registration records and invalid registration information.

State-Mandated File Maintenance Activities:

The Registrar of Voters performs a number of state-mandated file maintenance activities that involve updating registration records based on correspondence received from other government agencies.  The County’s list of registered voters is cross-checked using the following agency data from:

• The United States Postal Service’s National Change of Address information  (NCOA), which is received and processed monthly
• The Department of Motor Vehicles Change of Address information (DMVCOA), which is received and processed weekly
• San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Official Mail Ballots, Voter Information Guides, and other correspondence returned by the United States Postal Service as “undeliverable”
• The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health and the Secretary of State regarding deceased persons
• Other California counties where voters have re-registered in their county
• The Secretary of State during statewide voter registration duplicate checks, which are received and processed approximately twice per week

Optional File Maintenance Activities:

In addition to the above state-mandated file maintenance activities, the Registrar of Voters performs various internal audits.

• Duplicate Records Audit – This audit identifies potential duplicate records.  Using varying criteria, the Registrar of Voters runs reports identifying potential duplicate registration records.  When matches are confirmed, the duplicate voter records are merged together.
• Address Standardization Audit – This audit identifies mailing addresses that do not adhere to the United States Postal Service addressing standards.  Voters benefit from this audit because election mail with USPS standardized addresses will likely arrive sooner.
• Invalid Information Audit – This audit searches for invalid registration information, including driver’s license numbers, zip codes, or phone numbers.  This information is compared to the voter registration card images to determine if there is a typographical error.  The voter records are either corrected or invalid information is removed.

The Registrar of Voters maintains a voter registration database of approximately one million active records.  Of the County’s eligible citizens, 78% are registered to vote.  San Bernardino County is home to about 5% of the voters registered statewide.

Voter registration numbers for San Bernardino County, including the political party breakdown by district, are updated regularly on the Registrar of Voters website and can be found in the Weekly Report of Registration.  Statewide voter registration data may be found on the Secretary of State’s Voter Registration Statistics webpage.