[EL] the late June 2017 DOJ letter

[Hess, Doug]

Hi. I've written up a short memo on the DOJ letter about Sections 5 and 8 of the NVRA with some context from my perspective of having worked on the NVRA since 1994.

I think I take a bit more cautious approach to the letter than some. It's unusual in its timing and that it went to all states (and that it went out right before the new EAC report, something I didn't notice until just now), but I think the letter is not that unusual itself.  Indeed, DOJ has sent out fairly similar letters in the past (although to smaller groups of states) about other sections of the NVRA.
In short, if I wanted to get information from a state on how it was doing list cleaning and the address updates required in Section 5 (which I would guess few states are doing and many may never have done), I would have written a records request similar to the DOJ letter. Indeed, advocates wishing to expand voter registration access may find what DOJ uncovers useful  for putting an end to bad list cleaning procedures in some places.

Still, the experience under the Bush Administration raises concerns. See the memo here: http://www.douglasrhess.com/uploads/4/3/7/8/43789009/hess_july_7_2017_memo_on_doj_letter.pdf


Douglas R Hess
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Grinnell College
1210 Park Street, Carnegie Hall #309
Grinnell, IA 50112
phone: 641-269-4383
http://www.douglasrhess.com<http://www.douglasrhess.com/>

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