HAVV Fact Sheet Table of Contents |
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The Help America Vote Act of 2002, P.L. 107-252 (HAVA) requires States to verify the information of newly registered voters for Federal elections. Each State must establish a computerized State-wide voter registration list and verify new voter information with the State’s Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).
The States are required to verify the driver’s license number against the state MVA database. Only in situations where no driver’s license exists should the states verify the last four digits of the new voter registrant’s Social Security Number (SSN). The State submits the last digits of the SSN, name, and date of birth to the MVA for verification with SSA. In addition, SSA is required to report whether its records indicate that the registrant is deceased.
To ensure the privacy of the SSN, HAVA restricted the collection to only the last four digits of the SSN. HAVA provides that these last four digits do not constitute an SSN.
To comply with the requirements of section 303 of HAVA, SSA developed a new verification system, known as the Help America Vote Verification (HAVV) system, in August 2004. States must only submit a request to us for new voters who do not present a valid driver’s license during the voter registration process. HAVV verifies the accuracy of the name, date of birth, and last four digits of SSN submitted and sends an indication of whether our records show the individual as deceased.
Forty-three states currently use HAVV. Although the 4-digit HAVV system is designed to track usage by all states and territories, the law does not require all states to use the system. Seven States are not using the 4-digit HAVV system.
This data represents the results of the 4-digit match performed using our HAVV system. We operate HAVV as required by HAVA.
Note: Please address questions about the use of the system by any particular state to the appropriate voter registration official in that state.
The following list describes the types of data in the HAVV dataset.