Secretary of State Allen introduces AVID
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Special to the News
Last Monday Secretary of State Wes Allen introduced Alabama Voter Integrity Database (AVID), a replacement for ERIC, more commonly known as the Electronic Registration Information Center.
Allen said he believes the new system will allow Alabama to have the cleanest and most accurate voter registration list in the country.
“The implementation of AVID to help maintain our voter rolls is incredibly important,” Allen said. “We are the first state in the nation to implement a system like this and I am confident that we, as a result of AVID, will have the cleanest voter rolls that we have ever had.”
AVID is a four-prong system that Allen and his team spent the last eight months developing to help them maintain a clean and accurate registered voter list.
The four aspects of AVID include a cooperative inter-agency agreement with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, National Change of Address File, cooperative agreements with other states, and analysis of the Social Security Death Index.
Allen said that ALEA and his office are working closely together to identify registered voters in Alabama who have moved and obtained a driver’s license or non-driver ID in another state. As a result of this, it was recently reported that so far 8,041 active voters were identified as receiving licenses elsewhere.
Regarding state partnerships, Allen said that by comparing Alabama’s voter list to the list of states who have signed a memorandum of understanding with Alabama, they can identify individuals who are registered to vote in Alabama, but who are also registered to vote in another state.
Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee have signed MOUs with Alabama. So far more than 8,000 people were identified as being registered in both Alabama and Tennessee, Allen said. Comparisons with other states will begin soon, and Allen said more MOUs will follow.
“Because of the development of AVID, Alabama will be able to access the voter lists of every state that borders us for the first time in history,” Allen said during the press conference.
Regarding the National Change of Address File, Allen said that in comparing the National Change of Address List to the current Alabama voter list, as of September 18 they have identified more than 30,000 active registered voters who have notified the United States Postal Service that they have relocated to an address outside of Alabama.
The Social Security Death Index will allow Allen’s office, for the first time in the state’s history, to identify people who are currently on Alabama’s voter list who have passed away, regardless of the state in which they died, and immediately remove them from Alabama’s voter rolls.
Voters identified through AVID as possibly living out of state will be sent a postcard to their Alabama address and asked to update their information. It takes about four years to remove someone from voter rolls, Allen said.
He listed expenses related to AVID totaling about $12,000 so far.
“This is the Alabama-based solution that we promised,” he said.
To view Allen’s full press conference regarding AVID visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2WBCsDqeEs.
Allen is Alabama’s fifty-fourth secretary of state. The secretary of state is Alabama’s chief election official. Additionally, Alabama law gives the secretary of state more than 1,000 different duties. To learn more about the secretary of state and his responsibilities, visit www.sos.alabama.gov.
