The Barrier
In every other U.S. state other than Texas, any person can help their neighbor, family-member, or friend register to vote without fear of fines, fees, criminal penalties, or jail time.
In Texas, Volunteer Deputy Registrars (VDRs) are volunteers trained and deputized by a county to register eligible voters. This is a mandatory official volunteer process, meaning any potential volunteer must complete several complicated and tedious tasks before they even get to start registering voters — the whole reason they set out to serve their community.
Many counties boast huge numbers of these trained volunteers, which actively improves civic participation and registration numbers. However, counties with strapped resources may not be able to prioritize VDR training.
In every other state in the county, volunteers are NOT required to wait for the county to make registration a priority. Texas is the only state in America that has these particular requirements regarding assisting someone with registering to vote.
There are more reasons not to volunteer to register eligible voters register in Texas, which is profoundly undemocratic.
VDRs face many obstacles in Texas when trying to accomplish the already exhausting task of voter registration. Texas requires would-be volunteers to take an hour-long training and then take an oath to become “deputized,” after which simple mistakes in registering voters are subject to criminal penalties. VDRs must complete a training program as prescribed by the Secretary of State, though the trainings themselves vary greatly by county. Volunteers may even have to take an exam before training is complete. To register voters in a county besides the county the VDR was trained, they must physically visit that county’s election office to be “deputized.”
Texas leaves training for VDRs up to the state’s 254 county registrars, who are only required to offer one training class per month. There are no requirements for these trainings to be held at convenient times or locations, turning these training requirements into barriers. When a county only provides training at a few centralized locations or on an infrequent basis, many local groups and volunteers are not be able attend. This discretion, which is left up to each county, could result in both intentional and unintentional discrimination for those traditionally disenfranchised by our voting systems.
A person can get into trouble with the law if they volunteer to register voters without becoming deputized. And after becoming deputized, volunteers open themselves up to a world of criminal offenses, even when honest mistakes are made. For example, if a volunteer does not turn in a registration card within five days of filling it out, even if by mistake or inability, that volunteer will be charged with a misdemeanor. Problems with turning in forms or assisting voters fill out the registration card can result in criminal charges with fines up to $4,000 per registrant and a year in jail. Volunteering with high risk of heavy fines and criminal sanctions — even for innocent mistakes — can have a chilling effect on voter registration activities and recruitment of volunteers.
The Solution
Eliminate the deputization requirement to register voters.
By eliminating one of the many barriers to get Texans registered, we can join the rest of the county in a modern registration system that encourages people to participate. Deputization of volunteer registrars puts unnecessary obstacles in the way of public participation in our democratic process.
With only county registrars bearing the burden of educating voters, training VDRs, and encouraging people to get registered, eliminating deputization requirements could help more people get involved in this civic responsibility.