Volunteer-deputy-registrar,VDR - League of Women Voters of Hays County, Texas

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Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR)

Empowering citizens to vote through voter registration and education is a vital part of the mission of the League.

• Qualify by being:
• Certificate and Length of Term
• Appointment Limitations
• To volunteer to help register voters as a VDR or assistant:

TO BE ELIGIBLE TO REGISTER VOTERS IN TEXAS, YOU MUST:

First:

Qualify by being:

18 years are older
A resident of Texas and a U.S. citizen
In full possession of mental faculties
In good standing with the law, or if convicted of a felony, having completed any sentence, probation, and fines owed.
No conviction for identity theft.

Second:

You also must take a test to become a certified Volunteer Deputy Registrar (VDR).

Study the Volunteer Deputy Registrar Training Guide and the Volunteer Deputy Registrar Quick Reference Guide,. This is the latest training manual and materials to study for and take the test to become a certified VDR.)
View the SOS's Volunteer Deputy Registrar Training PowerPoint.
Take the test for becoming a VDR at the Hays County Elections Office (or other county's election office). You will be allowed to review the manual during the test. Just know however that much of the test involves questions requiring the application of the rules in various situations.
Make a passing score

ONLINE VOLUNTEER VOTER REGISTRATION TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION

In Hays County, VDR certification involves testing and passing a test taken at the Elections Office or at a training by Hays County Elections Office staff at another location. BUT, it may be inconvenient for you to drive to San Marcos to take the test.

Travis County does have an online process for all steps of the Volunteer Deputy Registrar training, testing, and if you've passed, receiving a VDR certificate for Travis County by email. Because all counties are required to accept the VDR certificate earned and issue a reciprocal one for Hays County, you can email the copy of your Travis County VDR certificate, and then receive your VDR certificate back from Hays County by email.

To do so, start here: https://tax-office.traviscountytx.gov/voters/volunteer-deputy-registrars. You can apply for a spot at a live Microsoft Teams training, opt for a self-paced video, and then complete the test. The test is open-book.

Then, if you so choose, you could email your certificate to election offices in Central Texas and request reciprocal VDR certificates from their county. The county is likely to be able to email it to you.

You will want to have voter registration forms for each county for which you are a certified VDR. Having multiple VDR certificates can be helpful when holding a voter registration drive at a location with the likelihood of having students or others who live in another nearby county.

college campuses – in Hays County those would be helpful for students living in Austin, New Braunfels, or another nearby city. If no one in your group is a certified deputy registrar for that county, then give the student a mail-able voter registration application to fill out (ideally with their county's elections office address listed on the card.

naturalization ceremonies for new citizens

any location where people from a neighboring county commute to work or school from their county to our county. The communities along I-35 in particular have people at events at which our VDRs are registering voters. Of course, they can always use a mail-in application – although often people leave, get busy, and never get it in the mail.

Once certified, the Hays County Elections Office will provide you with Voter Registration Application Forms in English or Spanish.

Or download them here.

Voter Registration Application

Solicitude de registro de votantes de Texas

After you take and pass the Volunteer Deputy Registrar certification test, the Hays County Elections Office will supply you with voter registration application forms in English and Spanish for VDR-assisted completion. Those are hand-delivered to the Hays County Elections Office within 5 business days by you or another VDR.

You will also receive mail-in voter registration application forms. The latter will have the mailing address for the Hays County Elections Office on it. That address gets the forms to the Hays County Elections Office fastest. You are likely to also be given mail-in forms for the Secretary of State's office. It can take months after those are completed to be received by Hays County Elections officials. But you may need that version of the mail-in applicatioin for anyone from another county who wants to register with you, because the Hays County form cannot be used with them. Unless, that is, you happen to have their county's pre-addressed mail-in voter registration application.

Check Voter Registration Status

Using either the Hays County Elections Office QR Code

or the one for the Secretary of State's VoteTexas: Am I Registered?

Certificate and Length of Term

The Volunteer Deputy Registrar certificate will be issued to each volunteer who passes the test and is good through December 31 of the next even-numbered year. To get a new certificate after their term ends, the VDR must retake and pass the test again.

Each certificate is numbered and VDRs should sign and then write their certificate number in the appropriate place on the VDR-assisted voter registration applications they submit.

Those certified as VDRs by more than one county will be issued a certificate with its own number to use in voter registration.

Double-Check Your Election Status

Besides the Secretary of State's office, you can also check your voter registration status with the Hays County Elections Office at this link. If you get a message that no record can be found when you check using the Am I Registered? tool, use the county elections link to double-check. There have been some glitches with the state's tool.

To volunteer to help register voters as a VDR or assistant:

Voter registration is a vital and ongoing activity of the League. Volunteer Deputized Registrars (VDRs) are a crucial part of that. But other assistance is invaluable as well and VDRs can work in tandem with those who are not certified VDRs as well.

If interested in helping, please complete the Voter Registration Volunteers form. We send out information for Voter Registration opportunities through SignUp Genius to Volunteer Deputy Registrars who have signed up.

Appointment Limitations

Your appointment is only good for the county in which you have tested. But presenting your certificate for one county to another will allow you to register voters in more than one county through a reciprocation arrangement. If not certified in a particular county, you may not help voters register without a VDR certified in that county who will be the one to sign applications and take charge of them.

Most counties require in-person application and testing to become a VDR. The exception is Travis County which allows VDRs to apply and qualify online. Find information about becoming a Travis County's Volunteer Deputy Registrar through testing online or applying for reciprocation here.

Your appointment as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar is a position of public trust. Part of the responsibilities include careful guidance through the sections of the application and a review for completeness. The VDR-handled voter registration applications must be hand-delivered by the VDR or another certified VDR to the correct Elections Office. For Hays County voter registrations, VDRs will need to complete the Hays County VDR Voter Registration Log (more information below).

MOST COMMON VOTER REGISTRATION MISTAKES

While registering to vote is a simple process, small mistakes on an application can lead to delays or even prevent a person from being successfully registered. As a VDR, it is important to be aware of the most common errors so you can help applicants avoid them. Catching these mistakes early ensures an application is completed accurately and processed without issues.

Failing to answer a required question in Section 1. Checking the required boxes on an application is crucial because the purpose is to confirm essential eligibility criteria, such as U.S. citizenship and age requirements. Without checking these boxes, the application may be considered incomplete or invalid, leading to the applicant possibly being denied the opportunity to register.

Incorrect or outdated address. An accurate address is essential on an application because it determines the voter’s proper voting precinct, polling location and the specific local elections in which they are eligible to vote. If the address is incorrect or outdated, the voter may receive the wrong ballot, be assigned to the wrong district, or face delays or issues on Election Day. A correct address helps facilitate a smooth voting experience.

Not providing information in Section 9. Providing a driver’s license number or the last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security Number is important because it helps verify identity when registering to vote. This information is used to confirm that the person submitting the application is who they say they are, which helps prevent voter fraud. Without this verification, the application may be delayed or rejected.

No signature or wrong date provided. Not signing the application or writing the wrong date can make the application invalid. The signature serves as a legal authentication that the information provided is accurate. The date confirms when the application was completed. An unsigned form or incorrect date can delay processing, which can lead to the individual not being registered before the deadline.
Telling a voter that they cannot use an out-of-state drivers license to vote. It can be used with a Reasonable Impediment Declaration Affidavit.

Voter Services Team

Vice-President and Chair, Joyce Doyle
VDR and Voter Registration County Coordinator, Mary Skillman
Dripping Springs Coordinator, Lesa Haney
San Marcos Coordinator, Ida Miller
Wimberley Coordinator, Mary Skillman

Direct link to this page: https://lwvhaysco.org/volunteerdeputyregistrar

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