Spreadsheet Submission for MOVE Act Compliance
| To: | County Officials |
| From: | Ann McGeehan, Director of Elections |
| Date: | August 9, 2010 |
| RE: | Spreadsheet Submission for MOVE Act Compliance |
The Office of the Texas Secretary of State previously issued an introductory, informative memorandum and, most recently, the adopted Administrative Rules regarding the implementation of the federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (“MOVE”). To comply with MOVE, the Secretary of State’s office proposed and adopted administrative rules regarding the distribution in an electronic format of a blank ballot, and created a ballot tracking system that allows military and overseas voters to determine the status of their ballot.
The following submission methods provide the means for submission of the ballot status for each applicable election for military and overseas voters. This information will support the MOVE Act requirement to create and maintain the website for military and overseas voters to track the status of their ballot. Each county should select a method to submit both the FPCA application data and ballot status to the State:
- Voter Import – The voter import is currently used to transmit all voter status and application changes to the State on a daily basis. The voter import has been modified to accept an FPCA application and all corresponding data fields and validation edits. If this method is elected, it will update the state database (TEAM) with the FPCA application and take advantage of all automated functionality. The imports are generally supported by a certified vendor. A list of certified vendors is enclosed.
- TEAM Data Entry – Direct access to the statewide TEAM application can be used to enter both the FPCA voters and their corresponding ballot status. TEAM is cost free to the counties and can be accessed from any PC that has Internet capability. A user name and password will need to be assigned for access to the application.
- Spreadsheet Submission – A spreadsheet to submit only the data fields to support the ballot status website lookup has been developed. This method will not update TEAM or offer any functionality benefits, but will populate a repository for the Military and Overseas Ballot Tracking website. The intent of the spreadsheet is for ballot status only; it does not submit the application information for the FPCA record.
The following explains in more detail the requirements for the spreadsheet submission method.
When to submit the spreadsheet: All updates to a military or overseas voter’s ballot status should be filed within 72 hours of the actual ballot status change, regardless of the submission method adopted by the county. The spreadsheet method requires a complete cumulative file submission of the most recent ballot status each time a spreadsheet is submitted; no partial or “update” spreadsheet files should be submitted.
What information is in the spreadsheet: The spreadsheet will be pre-populated with the County name and Election name for the first 1,000 records. If more rows are required, simply copy and paste the County Name and Election Name as needed.
Field Requirements
County Name – Required
Election Name – Provided by the State – Required
Last Name – Required
First Name – Required
Former Name – Required if Provided
Date of Birth – MM/DD/YYYY – Required
Residential Zip Code – Required
FPCA Application Method – Required
FPCA Affirmation Reason – Required
FPCA Ballot Status – Required
FPCA Ballot Status Date – MM/DD/YYYY – Required
Field Definitions
County Name – County name where FPCA application is filed and voter is eligible to vote.
Election Name – Standard Election Name issued by State for each applicable election.
Last Name – Last name of FPCA voter.
First Name – First name of FPCA voter.
Former Name – Former name of FPCA voter.
Date of Birth – Birth date provided by FPCA voter.
Residential Zip Code – The 5 or 9 digit zip code for the residential address located within the County of registration.
FPCA Application Method – Submission method used by FPCA personnel to get FPCA application to county. County will populate a value. Values = E for electronic submission, F= Fax, M= Mailed or P=Personal Delivery.
FPCA Affirmation Reason – Affirmation reason selected by FPCA applicant when filing FPCA application. County should use dropdown menu to populate a value of 1, 2 or 3.
| 1. | A member of the uniformed services or merchant marine on active duty, or an eligible spouse or dependent |
| 2. | A U.S. citizen residing outside the U.S. temporarily |
| 3. | A U.S. citizen residing outside the U.S. indefinitely |
Voting History Type Fields– County should populate with applicable date(s).
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Absentee ballot mailed | |
| Absentee ballot received | |
| Absentee ballot accepted | |
| Absentee ballot rejected | |
| Absentee ballot request rejected | |
| Election day ballot accepted | |
| Election day ballot rejected | |
| Early voting ballot accepted | |
| Absentee Ballot Cancelled | |
| Early voting ballot rejected | |
| Absentee ballot returned (by PO) |
Voting History Ballot Type – County should use dropdown menu to populate with code value.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full |
| 2 | Federal Only |
| 3 | Limited |
| 4 | Special State Write-In |
| 5 | Special State Write-In Limited |
| 6 | None |
Where to submit the spreadsheet: The populated spreadsheet should be submitted to the following e-mail address: MOVEAct@sos.state.tx.us for processing. Please include the following in the contents of your e-mail:
- County Name;
- Number of transactions contained within the spreadsheet;
- Contact Person at county level.
This e-mail account will be monitored by Secretary of State Staff for prompt review and processing of all spreadsheet submissions.
All counties will be required to submit and maintain an accurate ballot status for all Military and Overseas voters to the State, in compliance with the federally mandated MOVE Act. We are pleased to offer multiple methods to accommodate the counties’ needs and limitations for compliance. So that our office can anticipate the amount of imports and/or spreadsheet submissions, we are requesting that each county complete the attached form indicating which method they plan to use for both the FPCA application submission and the submission of the ballot status for those applicable Military and Overseas voters. If you have any questions regarding the submission of the FPCA or ballot status information, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Voter Registration staff at (800) 252-2216.
Enclosure: List of Certified Vendors (PDF, 29k)